Berlin has shifted its stance on China’s Huawei Technologies, joining a list of Western nations that have decided against allowing the company to build their 5G mobile networks, reports Reuters.
Despite warnings from Washington that Huawei equipment may contain “back doors” that could open them up to cyber espionage, Berlin originally told lawmakers in October that it saw no legal basis to exclude vendors from its upcoming 5G auction.
Handelsblatt, a leading German business newspaper, has now cited government sources saying that the security of 5G networks is “extremely relevant” and the government has been discussing ways in which to set security standards that Huawei would not be able to reach, effectively blocking them from the market.
Huawei stands firm in that the raised security concerns are unfounded and that the company has never received any requests from the government to transmit private information.
“I love my country, I support the Communist Party, but I would never do anything that would harm another country in the world,” said Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei.