US in Huawei threat

Trump launches fresh attack over ‘untrustworthy’ 5G company

PRESIDENT Trump has renewed warnings that the US could reduce intelligence cooperation with countries that use the Chinese company Huawei to build their 5G networks.

Although primarily directed at Germany, the fresh attack on the “untrustworthy” company will once again raise concerns that Boris Johnson’s decision to allow Huawei in the British network has damaged relations with America.

The Australian parliament’s intelligence and security committee has cancelled a visit to Britain amid diplomatic tension over Huawei within the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group.

Australia has sided with the US, with the committee’s deputy chairman, Anthony Byrne, telling Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, that Britain might as well have allowed

Russia to build the network.

Mr Johnson has postponed a US trip planned for next month, prompting concerns in the Conservative Party that Huawei could damage hopes of a quick trade deal between Britain and America.

Huawei is regarded by Britain as “high risk” because of its links to the Chinese state but the company will be allowed to build “non-core” areas of the 5G network, infrastructure critical to new technologies such as driverless cars that rely on constant connectivity.

Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, tweeted on Monday night (local time) that Mr Trump “just called me from Air Force One and instructed me to make clear that any nation who chooses to use an untrustworthy 5G vendor will jeopardise our ability to share intelligence and information at the highest level”.

Germany is considering whether to allow Huawei into its 5G network and Mr Grenell was immediately criticised by the left-wing party Die Linke.

Mr Grenell responded that the US could not be expected to “continue as usual even when you make dangerous mistakes”.