HUAWEI PLEDGES TO MEET SECURITY STANDARDS.

‘Whatever’ Canada requires, China giant says

T O R O N T O • Huawei Technologies Canada Co. will do “whatever is required” to meet the Ottawa’s security standards for 5G networks, the Chinese telecommunications giant pledged in a letter sent Wednesday to the Canadian Cyber Security Centre.

The promise comes at a tense time in Canada’s relationship with Hauwei after its CFO was arrested on Canadian soil under an extradition agreement with the United States. Canadian officials are facing mounting pressure to ban Huawei equipment from next-generation wireless networks over fears it contains hidden backdoors the Chinese government could exploit for espionage.

But Huawei Canada President Eric Li said the company will make a series of commitments to “ensure the integrity and security of 5G networks in Canada” in line with new commitments it made to the United Kingdom, according to the letter to Francis Castonguay, the CCSC’S director general of partnerships and risk mitigation. A copy of the letter was sent to the Financial Post.

This week, Huawei said it would spend US$2 billion over the next five years in the U.K. to fix technical problems that the U.K’S spy agency believes could expose British telecom networks to security risks. Specific measures have not been made public, but Huawei said it shared an outline of its commitments to the U.K. government with Canadian officials.

Li wrote he “would like to ensure it is understood our commitments to the U.K. also apply to the Government of Canada.”

“We are proud to have been able to work with Canada for a decade, and hope that these additional efforts ensure we are doing whatever is required to meet the standards of the Government of Canada,” Li wrote.

“This is Huawei Canada’s unwavering commitment to the Government of Canada.”

The promise comes as Huawei faces intense scrutiny in Canada and around the world. In early December, Canadian authorities arrested Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the request of the United States, which wants to extradite her to face fraud charges for allegedly violating its sanctions against Iran.

Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, a former officer in the People’s Liberation Army, has been released on bail. China has subsequently detained three Canadians.

Hauwei has repeatedly denied any ties to the Chinese government.

Still, Australia, New Zealand and the United States have blocked Huawei from their next-generation 5G networks for national security reasons.

Japan and France are reportedly poised to do the same.

As it stands, Huawei equipment is entrenched in Canada’s telecom networks, particularly those owned by BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. For security reasons, Huawei’s equipment is not used in their core networks, but there would be huge financial implications if they had to replace the equipment.

Bell and Telus have partnered with Huawei to test 5G technology, while Rogers Communications Inc. partnered with Ericsson to upgrade its network.

Canada has tested Huawei’s equipment for security risks since 2013, though the Communications Security Establishment only revealed the practice earlier this year after former government officials raised security concerns. The CSE, which oversees the cyber security centre, uses independent labs to test the equipment to help mitigate the risk of spying or network disruption.

Huawei Canada also has research partnerships with more than 10 Canadian universities and employs more than 700 people.

“Openness and transparency has been the cornerstone of Huawei’s business and R&D operations here in Canada, and it will continue to be in the future,” Li said.