UK may defy US warnings on Huawei cooperation: UN envoy

UK Ambassador to the United Nations Karen Pierce says her country may continue cooperation with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei despite security warnings by the United States.

Speaking at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York on Monday, Pierce said while London understood Washington’s concerns, it was still going to involve Huawei in developing Britain’s 5G network as long as it deemed the cooperation safe.

“We will not take a decision that would compromise British national security,” Pierce said. “There are some issues where we don’t wholly share the analysis of the US, much as we share the same strategic policy.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump accuses Huawei of spying and has sought to persuade the UK and the rest of its allies to avoid contracting the 5G tech pioneer from building their next-generation telecommunications networks.

American officials charge that components made by the Chinese company could double-function as spying devices for Beijing, a claim that Chinese officials have denied.

Having failed to convince allies to join the push against Huawei, Washington has ramped up the threats.

SS