China warns Canada of investment exodus if it believes Huawei risks 'Invented' by US
Sputnik news agency and radio 9.12.2021
Four members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance - the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand - have already banned or restricted Huawei from their 5G network, citing threats to their national security. The fifth member, Canada, is expected to announce its decision in the next few weeks.
China's ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, has asked Justin Trudeau's government to ignore warnings "invented" by the US against Huawei while it considers whether to allow the telecom giant to take part in its 5G infrastructure.
"Not a single country or organisation that have been using Huawei's product suggested or expressed security concerns. It is invented by the United States, and the main purpose for that is to crack down on Huawei," Cong said at the virtual discussion hosted by the Centre for International Governance Innovation on Wednesday.
The intentions of the US will be exposed if countries allow themselves to be guided by a a fair cool-headed assessment of Huawei's products and those from other Chinese companies, he added.
The Chinese ambassador in Ottawa accused the US of being the nation which indulges in espionage on its allies, which is the worst threat in the world.
"China does not do this kind of spying or electronic monitoring. Rather, the US has been doing these kinds of things over the past decades, even monitoring its allies, the leaders of its allies. So that is the biggest threat to the world," Cong said.
Cong went on to say that he hoped Canada had learnt a lesson from the outcome of the "Meng Wanzhou incident" and Ottawa's future decision will be based on business factors rather than abusing and stretching the concept of national security.
"[The few countries that do not allow Huawei to operate] have made their decision not based on business factors but rather on political factors. That's why I am emphasising the need for Canada and other countries to apply a non-discriminatory, free, and fair business environment for not only Huawei but other companies as well," Cong urged.
Cong said that decisions based on politics will send a very wrong signal not only to Chinese companies but also other countries' companies, leading to an exodus of investors from Canada.
China and Canada were embroiled in a bitter diplomatic spat after Ottawa arrested Huawei executive, Meng Wanzhou, in December 2018 at the request of the US.
In September, she flew back to China after the US Justice Department dropped an extradition request. Later, China freed two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were detained on spying charges.
It is expected that Canada will decide whether Huawei can operate in its country in the next few weeks. However, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told The Canadian Press last month that the government only wants to deal with "trusted partners" in future artificial intelligence ventures.
Following in the United States' footsteps, Britain, Japan, Australia, and Sweden have not allowed Huawei to participate in their 5G networks.
