New Zealand says that Huawei does not forbid because it is Chinese

WELLINGTON: New Zealand denied on Thursday (November 29th) that telecommunications giant Huawei had been banned from the deployment of the 5G network because it was Chinese, saying the problem it faced was technological in nature.

Wellington also rejected suggestions that his intelligence services would be under pressure from the "Five Eyes" spy ring allies to prohibit Huawei from fearing for cybersecurity and its potential links with Beijing.

"It's not about the country, not even the society, but about the technology that's being proposed," Andrew Little, the minister responsible for the intelligence agency of the Canadian Security Bureau, told national radio. Government (GCSB).

"I can say with great assurance that there has been no representation at the GCSB of Australia, the United States, everywhere, how it should be there." take to make his decision. "

The main New Zealand carrier, Spark, said on Wednesday that the GCSB had rejected a plan to use Huawei technology in its next-generation 5G network, citing "significant risks to national security."

China, New Zealand's largest trading partner in a relationship worth $ 26 billion a year ($ 18 billion US), expressed "deep concern" about 39; ban.

The two countries signed a free trade agreement and the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it hoped "New Zealand would provide a level playing field for all Chinese companies operating in New Zealand".

Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei, is a former engineer of the People's Liberation Army of China, which has raised fears of close ties with the Chinese military and the Chinese government, which Huawei has always denied .

Few people refused to describe the security threat posed by Spark's plan, saying only that "there is a risk with the use of this technology", but the details have been classified.

He stated that the GCSB had taken a number of factors into account in making its decision.

"We know that telecommunication networks, like other infrastructures, are now points of vulnerability around the world in the event of incursions, cyber-attacks and the like," he said. he declared.

"So, nowadays, we have to make sure everything is done to protect our country from these risks."

Huawei was not totally banned, explaining that Spark had the opportunity to approach the GCSB to see if it was possible to reduce security risks.

5G or fifth-generation wireless communications offer high-speed connections that allow you to download a full-length movie in less than one second.

It is considered the key to providing new technologies such as driverless cars and remote surgical procedures.

US lawmakers have expressed concern over Huawei's spying potential. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Washington was urging its allies to exclude 5G deployments.

Australia has banned Huawei and another Chinese company ZTE from participating in its 5G network in August. The other members of the intelligence sharing group "Five Eyes" are Canada and the United Kingdom.