Huawei pushes 5G in SE Asia, brushes off ‘tech war’ with US

Chinese phone giant Huawei said Sunday it was ready to roll out 5G infrastructure across Southeast Asia, dismissing US warnings its tech could be used to hoover up data for Beijing.

The firm has emerged as a key protagonist in the wider Us-china trade war that has seen tit-for-tat tariffs imposed on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods.

President Donald Trump’s administration has warned Huawei’s equipment could allow China to spy on other countries and has effectively blocked American companies from selling US technology to the firm. But the company has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying it is the victim of tech envy. Thailand and the

Philippines have shrugged off the cybersecurity warnings in a rush to exploit the ultra-fast 5G network promised by the China’s biggest smartphone maker, while Vietnam has edged away from Huawei.

“China and the US now are in the trade war and also there is some kind of technology war (which) Huawei is very focused on at the moment,” said Huawei Vice-president Edward Zhou at the Association of Southeast Asian summit on Sunday. “We are here to support the ASEAN (in) the development for the 5G.” Encompassing hundreds of millions of people, the 10-member bloc wants the next-level technology to help businesses, infrastructure, and transport compete globally.

Host country Thailand has welcomed Huawei with open arms, allowing it to set up a test bed at a major university near the Thai capital.