Many countries are wary of Huawei regarding information security.

In recent years, Huawei has been accused of violating sanctions against Iran and North Korea by supplying telecommunications equipment to the two countries. Moreover, it can be used to monitor people. Some countries have warned against using Chinese-origin equipment because of suspicions that Beijing uses Huawei products to spy on people around the world.

However, much of the concern comes from Huawei's growing influence as the company plans to provide 5G network technology globally. Huawei has denied all allegations that it could be involved in intelligence gathering for the Chinese government. However, some countries have said they will not allow Huawei to participate in 5G trials, and many are considering the issue.

America

The US is China's biggest economic rival as well as a global intelligence collector. Washington fears Beijing will gain access to sensitive user information, such as location data, and could pose a potential threat to critical infrastructure.

To prevent this risk, US lawmakers have urged Internet service provider AT&T to reconsider its agreements with Huawei. In 2012, Washington also launched an investigation into Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese telecommunications group, to see if their equipment threatened US interests.

The US Congress later concluded that "Huawei failed to fully cooperate with the investigation and was unwilling to explain its relationship with the Chinese government or Communist Party, while there was credible evidence that the corporation failed to comply with US law".

Since then, the US has been trying to prevent its allies from using Huawei technology, especially members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK, because these countries have intelligence agencies that share information on a large scale. The US has also tried to convince other countries like Germany not to allow Huawei to supply technology in the near future.

Australia

The Australian government announced in August that companies “likely to be subject to foreign government direction” would not be allowed to provide 5G technology, a reference to Huawei. The Chinese company currently provides Australia’s 4G network, but with the advent of 5G, more products will be connected to the internet in the near future.

Following Australia's decision, Huawei said there was no fundamental difference between 4G and 5G, except that 5G provided better security, adding that Australia's allegations were not based on facts.

New Zealand

In November, New Zealand announced it would follow Australia's lead, rejecting mobile carrier Spark's request to use Huawei equipment for its 5G network.

"I have informed Spark that a serious security risk has been identified," Andrew Hampton, director general of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau, said, without giving details of the risks.

Older brother

As the second most important member of the Five Eyes group, Britain has been repeatedly called upon by its allies to ban Huawei from its 5G networks. So far, Britain has not done so, but the government is discussing special measures.

Earlier this month, the head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Alex Younger, also expressed doubts about Huawei. In a 2013 report, the British government concluded that while there was no direct evidence that Huawei caused harm, the company’s partial responsibility for critical technology could pose risks.

Before the government's decision, British telecom company BT announced on December 5 that it would not use Huawei technology as the backbone of its upcoming 5G network, and would remove Huawei products from its 3G and 4G networks.

Canada

Under the influence of the Five Eyes countries, Canada is also considering the risks from Huawei technology. The press of this country revealed that US lawmakers have discussed with Canadian officials and companies about banning the deployment of Huawei technology in the 5G network.

"While Canada has strong security measures in place, we remain deeply concerned that they are inadequate to address what the United States and other allies have discovered about Huawei," Senators Mark Warner and Marco Rubio wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) announced in September that it had been testing Huawei equipment for several years to determine whether it posed a risk to the country. However, Canadian media reported that telecommunications companies have not yet announced a ban on Huawei equipment.

Virtue

Germany, a key Five Eyes ally, is still using Huawei technology and has not made a decision. Officials said last month they were planning to persuade the government to consider excluding Chinese companies like Huawei from building 5G networks.

"The concern is very serious. If it were up to us, we would do the same as Australia," a German official toldReuters. The Foreign and Home Affairs Ministries are said to have stepped up their push for the government after discussions with the US and Australia.

"We need to examine each case individually to ensure that critical infrastructure is protected. This could lead to the exclusion of Chinese companies from building 5G networks," said MP Katharina Droege.

Japan

Japanese media revealed on December 7 that the country plans to amend its internal rules on purchasing technology products from China. Accordingly, Japanese government agencies will be banned from purchasing telecommunications products from Huawei and ZTE.

The Japanese government declined to comment. However, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said they had been in discussions with the US. "Cybersecurity is gradually becoming an important issue in Japan. We will take resolute measures to consider it from various angles," he said.

Japan is among the countries that currently rely heavily on Huawei equipment.

Italy and India

In addition to Japan, the US has also expressed concerns about Huawei to Italy, one of the countries currently using the Chinese corporation's products for its mobile internet system. However, Italy has not yet decided which company will provide equipment for its 5G network.

In September, Indian media reported that Huawei was banned from participating in 5G trials in the country, but shortly after, Huawei and the Indian government said the group had been invited to test equipment in the world's second-largest mobile market.

Anh Ngoc