17 February
The dispute between the United States and China over Chinese telecom giant Huawei is escalating.
In a speech at a security conference in Munich, Germany on Saturday, US Vice President Mike Pence said that Chinese laws require telecom companies to provide data to the government. He labeled Huawei products a threat to national security systems.
Pence said America is calling on all its security partners to be vigilant, and to reject any enterprise that would compromise the integrity of their communications technology or their national security systems.
Chinese Communist Party Political Bureau member Yang Jiechi responded by saying that Chinese laws do not require companies to install back doors or to collect intelligence. He urged other countries not to be misled by Pence's request.—NHK
