The Latest: Germans, Dutch won't ban Huawei despite US move
BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on trade tensions between the U.S. and China (all times local):
9:45 p.m.
The German and Dutch leaders are making clear that they don’t plan to change their stance on Chinese telecommunications company Huawei following an executive order by the Trump administration apparently aimed at banning its equipment from U.S. networks.
The U.S. has been lobbying European allies to ban Huawei from 5G networks over concerns China’s leaders could force it to use its equipment for cyberespionage. Germany in March published security standards calling for mobile providers to use “trustworthy” equipment suppliers that comply with national security regulations, but isn’t explicitly banning any supplier.
Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters Thursday Germany had “found a very sound way” to deal with security on 5G networks. She spoke alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who said the Netherlands doesn’t want to exclude companies in advance.
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7:15 p.m.
In Paris, France’s president has cautioned against freezing out Chinese tech giant Huawei or escalating trade tensions with China.
Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that “launching a technology war or a trade war toward any country” is not the best way to defend national interests.
Macron was speaking at the VivaTech gadget show. He was responding to the U.S. announcement Wednesday labeling Huawei a security risk and introducing export controls.
But Macron added that France would be “very careful” about choosing who can install 5G networks. Huawei is far ahead of competitors in developing 5G technology, and denies accusations it facilitates Chinese spying.
Macron said France and Europe want more cooperation among governments to solve conflicts, as Washington and Beijing battle for global economic and technological dominance.
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6:00 p.m.
China’s government has criticized Washington for imposing export controls on technology sales to tech giant Huawei, saying it will “resolutely safeguard” Chinese companies.
A foreign ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, criticized “abuse of export control measures” on Thursday after President Donald Trump signed an order requiring vendors to get approval for sales to Huawei.
Huawei, the biggest global maker of switching equipment for phone and internet companies, has spent a decade fighting accusations it facilitates Chinese spying.
Lu said Beijing will take “further measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises” but gave no details.
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