But Huawei’s chief security officer Andy Purdy said he believes the UK decision was unrelated to claims by US officials that Huawei is tied to the Chinese government.
Purdy told CNN’s Richard Quest in an interview on Wednesday that he believes the new US sanctions “forced” the UK to make its decision.
“The additional restrictions that the US government imposed on Huawei to harm China by harming Huawei compelled the UK government,” Purdy said. “It is quite a complex issue because of the US sanctions that have been implemented … But it is not because of what President Trump and Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo have said. They have said that this is evidence that the UK The government is coming to believe that Huawei is an arm of the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party. The UK government did not say such a thing. “
UK Culture and Digital Minister Oliver Dowden said on Tuesday that new US sanctions imposed on the company in May had “significantly changed” the picture.
“Given the uncertainty this creates around Huawei’s supply chain, the UK can no longer trust that it will be able to guarantee the safety of future Huawei 5G equipment,” Dowden said.
Purdy said China should not retaliate against the UK for the ban. Instead, he urged the governments of the US and China to come together to discuss the larger tensions that he says are behind the US offensive against Huawei.
Pompeo on Wednesday increased pressure by announcing visa restrictions on employees of Chinese tech companies, including Huawei.
“This kind of action, to try to retaliate, to try to hurt China by hurting Huawei, is really unwarranted, and the United States and China need to start talking because, despite the big differences, there are some major problems in the world that needs to be addressed by those two governments, “said Purdy.
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