China strongly opposes some EU countries’ ban on Huawei and said the European Commission has no legal basis or factual evidence to ban the Chinese telecom giant, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. China.
ZTE, also singled out by EU industry chief Thierry Breton as a high-risk provider, criticized the move to ban its equipment from the Commission’s network and in EU countries.
Breton on Thursday urged more EU countries to join the 10 that have restricted or banned Huawei and ZTE from their 5G telecommunications networks, citing risks to the bloc’s collective security.
He said both companies will also be barred from participating in EU-funded projects.
Huawei has criticized the move, saying it was not based on a verified, transparent, objective and technical assessment of 5G networks.
Publicly singling out an individual entity as a high-risk supplier without any legal basis goes against the principles of free trade, a Huawei spokesperson said.
“As an economic operator in the EU, Huawei has substantial and procedural rights and must be protected by EU and member state laws as well as its international commitments,” the person said.
ZTE said it should be treated like its rivals.
“ZTE’s only request is to be treated fairly and objectively by regulators and legislators, just like any other provider,” the company said in an email.
“We welcome external evaluation and scrutiny of our products by regulatory and technical oversight bodies at any time.”
Several countries, including Germany, have been slow to implement EU security measures for 5G networks agreed three years ago to curb the use of “high-risk providers” such as Huawei due to concerns about possible sabotage or espionage.
Telecom operators across Europe have been using Huawei equipment because it is cheaper than its rivals and works just as well, making it difficult for companies to choose more expensive options.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
