Ex-Japanese PM ‘shocked’ at Japanese move on ZTE, Huawei
Former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama said the alleged Japanese government ban on equipment and services provided by Chinese telecommunication vendors Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp is “unbelievable and reflects the fact that Japan is an affiliate of the US.”
The comment was made after media reported that Japan’s big three telecom operators plan not to use network gear from China’s Huawei and ZTE.
The plan applies to current equipment as well as upcoming fifth-generation (5G) gear, Kyodo News reported on Monday.
Hatoyama told the Global Times on the sidelines of an event in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province on Monday that “the restrictive measures taken by the Japanese government against a single company are unbelievable and weird.”
Hatoyama noted that some Chinese companies are actually technically ahead of their Japanese counterparts, and choosing the most advanced technology should be the reasonable decision in business. But the Japanese government is influenced by the Trump administration and the whole thing shows “the unbelievable efforts involving a single Chinese company that the incumbent Japanese government is an affiliate of the US”.
China was under pressure from the US and Japan faces the same situation, and Japan should cooperate with China to find a way to tackle that pressure, the former leader said.
The Chinese side has communicated with its Japanese counterpart through diplomatic channels concerning Japan’s exclusion of China’s Huawei and ZTE from the procurement list. Chinese companies should not be subject to any discrimination in operating in Japan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The essence of Chinese-Japanese economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial and win-win, Lu Kang, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a press briefing on Monday.
“The Chinese government has always encouraged Chinese companies to operate in line with laws and regulations – they also follow rules in Japan. Meanwhile, we ask the Japanese side to provide a fair, transparent and nondiscriminatory environment for Chinese firms,” Lu noted.
Japan plans to ban government purchases of equipment from Huawei and ZTE in its defense against so-called intelligence leaks and cyber attacks.
Huawei has already been locked out of the US market, and Australia and New Zealand have blocked it from building 5G networks amid concern over possible links the firm has with China’s government. Huawei has repeatedly insisted Beijing has no influence over it.
Markets have been reeling after the news last week that Canadian officials had arrested Huawei’s chief financial officer for extradition to the US, sparking fears the arrest would throw up another hurdle to the resolution of a trade war between the world’s biggest two economies.
Global Times – Reuters