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Chinese tech giant Huawei is kicking off a four-day online event today that focuses on how the technology can be used in the fight against the coronavirus.
The “Best World Summit” will also explore how to boost the world economy in the wake of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, HSBC issued a statement defending its cooperation with the US in a case against Huawei.
It came after Chinese state media accused the London-based bank of “cheating to catch” Huawei.
The world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker said the summit will feature talks by tech industry executives and experts from around the world, including Huawei President Guo Ping and South Africa’s telecommunications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams. .
The event is held in the context of mounting pressure on the company as tensions rise between Beijing and western governments.
On Friday, an article in China’s official People’s Daily newspaper said that HSBC had “framed” Huawei and played a role in the arrest of the company’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou.
The next day, HSBC released a statement on the Chinese social media platform WeChat that it was not involved in Washington’s decision to investigate Huawei or arrest Meng.
He also said that “HSBC has no malice against Huawei, nor has it” framed “Huawei.” In response, another Beijing-controlled newspaper, The Global Times, said: “Chinese observers called the HSBC statement ‘not persuasive’ at all.”
Meanwhile, the United States has asked members of the Five Eyes intelligence exchange alliance, which also includes the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, to avoid the Huawei kit.
The campaign against Huawei by President Donald Trump’s administration has led the UK and Australia to ban the company from building their 5G networks.
Earlier this month, the British government banned the country’s mobile phone providers from buying new Huawei 5G equipment after the end of this year.
Companies were also told they had to remove all of the Chinese firm’s 5G kit from their networks by 2027.
It follows sanctions imposed by the US government, which claims that Huawei poses a threat to national security, something the company denies.
Also this week, a court in Canada will open a hearing on what evidence should be made public in the proceedings on whether to extradite Meng to the United States.
