China warns France against treating Huawei differently from European competitors for 5G contracts
- The Chinese embassy in Paris urged France to establish “transparent criteria and treat all companies in a similar way”
- “We do not wish to see the development” in China of Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson being “impacted”, the embassy said
China warned France against treating Huawei Technologies differently from European competitors when it comes to future 5G network equipment contracts, as the US mounts a campaign to keep the Chinese tech giant at bay.
In a lengthy statement issued on Sunday on its website, the Chinese embassy in Paris urged France to establish “transparent criteria and treat all companies in a similar way”, referring to telecom equipment makers.
It also warned that a difference in treatment based on the country of origin would be considered “blatant discrimination” and “disguised protectionism.”
The statement also carried a veiled warning.
“We do not wish to see the development” in China of Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson being “impacted because of discrimination and protectionism” against Huawei by France and other European countries, the embassy said.
Chinese ambassador ‘threatens German car industry’ if Huawei is banned
The statement comes as France prepares to auction off 5G spectrum in April. France’s main carrier, Orange, has already announced it would leave Huawei out of its 5G network and work instead with Nokia and Ericsson.
But two other French carriers who’ve been reliant on Huawei for their 4G networks, Altice Europe’s SFR and Bouygues’ telecoms unit, have yet to say who their 5G partners will be.
“Huawei’s 5G equipment are totally safe” and have never presented any “back door” lapses, the statement from the embassy added.