France refuses to join Huawei ban
France will not join the U.S. and UK in banning Huawei.
On Tuesday (July 21) finance minister Bruno Le Maire said the telecom gear maker would still be allowed to invest there.
Instead of a ban he says Paris will focus on protecting sensitive national security interests.
Le Maire says he confirmed the position to Chinese authorities the day before.
The news comes after the UK reversed its earlier position of allowing Huawei some role in building 5G phone networks.
It now says it will purge the company’s gear - a process that will take seven years.
Last week’s move drew a sharp warning from a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman:
"Now that Britain has decided to ban Huawei, I think that in the end this will just harm the interests of Britain. The British government should attentively listen to the rational voices from within its own country and make a responsible decision that best fits its fundamental and long-term interests.”
Huawei was among the topics on Tuesday when U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London.
Diplomats say Washington aims to stiffen UK resolve on China by dangling the prospect of a post-Brexit trade deal as reward.
Beijing says the West is in the grip of anti-Chinese hysteria and colonial thinking.
