Huawei’s treatment by foreign countries ‘unfair and immoral’, China’s foreign minister says
- Boycott of Chinese telecom giant’s products has ‘obvious political intentions’, Wang Yi says
- Comments come as Britain’s Vodafone becomes latest Western firm to suspend purchases
“Considering the obvious political intentions and manipulation behind it, it is even more unacceptable,” he said, without naming the Chinese telecom equipment giant.
“I believe that all countries should be vigilant and resist this unreasonable practice, and such bullying,” he told reporters from China’s state media at the end of a three-day trip to France and Italy, according to an article on the ministry’s website.
“Of course, every country is entitled to protect their right to maintain information security, but they cannot use security as an excuse to damage or even strangle legitimate business operations,” he said.
“Companies are just companies, and the survival and development of companies must ultimately be determined by market competition. What governments have to do is to provide them with a fair, just and transparent business environment.”
Wang’s comments came after Vodafone Group became the latest Western company to boycott Huawei products. The British telecom conglomerate said on Friday it had suspended its purchases of the Chinese firm’s equipment for the core of its wireless networks.
