The U.S. Secretary of State believes that Australia, Denmark “and other free countries” have also previously faced pressure from Beijing.
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said on Tuesday that Beijing is putting pressure on London to establish a fifth generation (5G) mobile network in the United Kingdom.
“The United States, together with our partners and allies, opposes the <…> tactics of intimidation [employed] by the Communist Party of China. The latest example is that Beijing reportedly threatened to punish the British bank HSBC and violate its obligations to build nuclear power plants in the UK unless London allowed [the Chinese corporation] Huawei to build its 5G network”, – Pompeo said in a statement issued by the U.S. foreign policy press office.
“Just last week, Peter Wong, director of the bank in the Asia-Pacific region and member of the People’s Political Consultative Council, signed a petition in support of Beijing’s terrible decision to destroy Hong Kong’s autonomy. <…> This demonstration of loyalty seems to have earned little respect for HSBC in Beijing, which continues to use the bank’s business in China as political leverage against London”, – the US Secretary of State said. According to Pompeo, Australia, Denmark “and other free countries” have also previously faced pressure from Beijing.
According to the secretary of state, “Beijing’s aggressive behavior shows why countries should avoid excessive economic dependence on China and protect their critical infrastructure from the Communist Party’s influence. “The U.S. is ready to help our friends in Britain with any needs – from building safe and reliable nuclear power plants to developing trustworthy solutions to the 5G issue,” said the U.S. foreign policy chief.
Huawei Corporation was founded in 1987. It manufactures telecommunication equipment as well as consumer devices and smartphones. The company’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries. In the United States, Huawei, its subsidiaries, as well as its CFO, Meng Wangzhou, have been charged with 23 counts, including industrial espionage and violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran. Washington, which is waging a trade war with Beijing, calls on its allies to give up Huawei equipment, saying it could threaten the national security of the countries where it is used.