Huawei not bound by Chinese spy laws, company’s cybersecurity chief John Suffolk tells British parliament
- Telecoms giant says legal advisers confirmed Huawei has no obligation to work with Beijing
- Legislation in question has been cited by US in attempt to force governments across the world to drop Huawei from their 5G network plans
Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has been advised it is under no obligation to spy for Beijing if so asked by the Communist state, Huawei’s cybersecurity chief told the British parliament on Monday.
John Suffolk told a committee hearing that Huawei has sought guidance from its lawyers to see if a Chinese law on domestic companies’ cooperation with the government on security matters could force it to conduct foreign intelligence work.
The legislation has been cited by US President Donald Trump’s administration in its attempts to force governments across the world to drop Huawei from their 5G network development plans.
Suffolk’s appearance before the UK parliament’s science and technology committee came as Britain prepares to publish delayed policy guidelines for the next-generation technology’s roll-out.
“There are no laws in China that obligate us to work with the Chinese government with anything whatsoever,” Suffolk said.