China's Huawei, ZTE blocked from Australia's 5G network
The move comes amid tensions between Beijing and Canberra that has seen Australia refocus its foreign aid programmes to win hearts and minds in Pacific nations
Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE have effectively been banned from rolling out Australia’s 5G network, after Canberra said on Thursday there were security risks with companies beholden to foreign governments.
Huawei – one of the world’s largest telecommunications equipment and services providers – has been under scrutiny in some countries including the United States and Australia over its alleged close links to Beijing.
Huawei was blocked from bidding for contracts on Australia’s ambitious national broadband project in 2012, reportedly due to concerns about cybersecurity.
The company has long disputed claims of any links to the Chinese government.
The federal government said in a statement that the “involvement of vendors who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law” posed a security risk.
