Ex-Executive Chairman for Google, Eric Schmidt, stated, in a BBC exclusive, that Huawei challenged US national security and has employed unacceptable acts. Schmidt also warns that rather than disengaging from interaction with the company, the West should compete with China in the tech department.
Schmidt is now holding a position in the Pentagon’s Defence Innovation Board and stated that without a doubt, Huawei engaged in practices that are not acceptable for national security. This statement comes amid the current situation in the UK, where the Kingdom is reviewing whether to continue letting Huawei help build its 5G mobile network. Schmidt indicated that Huawei has a means of ‘signals intelligence’ referring to specialized spy agencies, strongly implying user data collection.
“There’s no question that information from Huawei routers has ultimately ended up in hands that would appear to be the state, … However that happened, we’re sure it happened.”
Eric Schmidt – Chairman at Pentagon Defence Innovation Board
Huawei defended themselves from the allegations made by Schmidt, denying any accusations that it is an arm of the Chinese Party.
“The allegations made by Eric Schmidt, who now works for the US government, are utterly not true and as with similar assertions in the past, are not backed by evidence, … Huawei is independent of any government, including the Chinese government. … Where we do agree, and something we’ve always said, is that applying standards globally ensures innovation, fosters competition, and benefits everyone.”
Victor Zhang, Huawei UK
The situation with the 5G UK Network is one of the most delicate matters right now. Internationally speaking, the UK was asked repeatedly to cease any further collaboration with Huwaei, by many international powers. Schmidt also cautioned about local providers and possible national champions. He indicated that the West has weaknesses in its production department especially, not having foundries that manufacture semiconductor chips. He added that it would be better for China, to use chips from Western companies, rather than build them. Schmidt concluded with a warning about the rise of nationalism and protectionism around the world, and for future world endeavors, this mater should be of great concern.
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