China Responds to Canada’s Ban on Huawei and ZTE 5G Gear

According to recent reporting by Canadian media, the country’s officials said on Thursday that they plan to ban the use of 5G gear made by China’s Huawei and ZTE in order to protect national security, which is its responsibility as a member of the Five Eyes allies.

Alykhan Velshi, the vice president of corporate affairs for Huawei in Canada, said that the company was “obviously disappointed” about Canada’s move, but added that “the so-called ‘ban’ actually only targets a small and shrinking aspect of our businesses in Canada.” Velshi also said that Huawei will carefully analyze the upcoming legislation to ensure its compliance with the “Agreement Between Canada and the People’s Republic of China for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments,” but Huawei will still play a role in Canada’s telecommunications network at least in the short term.

In response, at the regular press conference of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held on Friday, spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China is firmly opposed to this and will conduct a comprehensive and serious assessment while taking all necessary means to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

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François-Philippe Champagne, the Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced in Ottawa on May 19 that the so-called “high-risk vendors” were prohibited from participating in the construction of 5G networks in Canada. According to this decision, Canadian telecommunications companies will not be allowed to use any products or services of these two companies in their networks, while companies that have installed such devices will be required to stop using them and dismantle the devices.

According to CTV’s description, the Canadian federal government indicated that it wants the Canadian telecommunications industry to stop purchasing new 4G or 5G gear and services from Huawei and ZTE before September 2022, as well as stop using any new or existing 5G gear and services of the two companies before June 2024, and stop using the two companies’ any new or existing 4G equipment and services before December 2027.

The Canadian government also indicated that it would shortly be submitting legislation to amend the Canadian Telecommunications Act. The government said that this new legislation will support Canada’s telecommunications system and ensure national security in Canadian departments of finance, telecommunications, energy and transportation.