By Wang Yi Source:Global Times Published: 2018/12/23 20:08:40

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Czech Republic denies its cyber watchdog’s ‘threat’ warning on telecom giant

Czech Republic’s National Security Council (NSC) denied the country’s “security threat” warning on Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Friday, a move analysts said indicates that most countries will eventually choose to cooperate with the world’s biggest producer of telecoms equipment despite the intense scrutiny toward the company in the West.

In the revision statement, Czech Republic’s NSC said that the “security threat” warning issued by National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NCISA) on Tuesday was not based on technology analysis, and it had no right to comment on other countries’ international political situations or legal political environment.

“Bidders for critical information infrastructure or major information systems procurement should not be put at a disadvantage, if there are no serious grounds related to national security,” the statement said.

Czech Republic’s denial was welcomed by Huawei. 

Li Jian, Huawei president for the European Area, said that the company believes its cooperation with partners in the country will not be affected. The company’s global reputation, business and investments will not be compromised by groundless allegations.

“In the past 30 years, Huawei has maintained a good safety record by working with customers in more than 170 countries around the world,” Li said. “Network security has always been our top priority.” 

Wang Yanhui, secretary-general of the Mobile China Alliance, told the Global Times on Sunday that groundless “security” allegations toward Huawei amid the intense scrutiny in the West mainly shows the political prejudice hidden behind.

“Huawei’s leading position in fifth-generation (5G) and semiconductor areas has evoked fears in countries which regard China as a strategic adversary,” Wang said. 

“The security concern is more like an excuse.”

In fact, more countries and companies have defended Chinese telecom giant Huawei amid global controversy over the “security threat” allegation on the telecom equipment suppliers, saying that they will continue cooperation or start new cooperation.

Recently, a statement by Germany’s Federal Office of Information Security Head Arne Schoenbohm has made it clear that the most advanced 5G services by the Chinese telecom giant do not pose any visible security risk.

British mobile phone network provider O2 will go ahead with trialing Huawei’s 5G equipment in January 2019, despite increasing political tension surrounding the Chinese telecoms firm.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Monday defended Huawei and urged the government not to take any decision in haste on the basis of “alleged concerns.” 

Similar defending for Huawei has been seen from LG U+ CEO and Vice Chairman Ha Hyun-hwoi and Aldo Bisio, CEO of Vodafone Italy.

As the US and its close allies continue to move against Huawei, it has recently come to light that these allegations were baseless and lack evidence, Xiang Ligang, chief executive of telecom industry news site cctime.com, told the Global Times on Sunday.

“Most allegations were made by politicians based on assumptions,” Xiang said.

“The US does not use any of Huawei’s equipment, so how can they prove our products pose security threats,” said Huawei Deputy Chairman Hu Houkun at a press event in Dongguan, South China’s Guangdong Province on Tuesday.

Most of the countries and regions in the world will still use Huawei’s 5G equipment, and a attitude shifts toward Huawei have already been seen in UK, India, and Czech Republic, said Xiang.

A global leader in 5G technology, Huawei’s total revenue will exceed $100 billion this year, and is projected to see 20 percent growth in 2019, according to estimate by Xiang.