Huawei has ‘sinister’ student jobs network
The telecoms giant has advertised for university campus ambassadors to ‘spread Huawei goodwill’
HUAWEI has been accused of making a “deeply sinister” attempt to infiltrate UK universities by hiring a network of “campus ambassadors” across the country.
The Chinese telecoms giant, which the Government banned from the country’s 5G networks following US sanctions, recently published a job advert online seeking students would “spread Huawei goodwill”.
The advert, which attracted more than 120 applicants, also said the business was seeking to pay students to “help Huawei to better understand your campus’ culture”.
Students who are hired as Huawei campus ambassadors will also be given the company’s products as a reward for their time, the advert said.
Anthony Glees, the head of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, called Huawei’s recruitment drive “beyond foolhardy”.
“It will be seen, rightly or wrongly, as deeply sinister,” he added. “I think this is a big story, and potentially for Huawei, a disastrous one … it gives every indication of being an advert for agents to work for Huawei.”
The emergence of Huawei’s attempt to recruit a network of students in the country comes after Jesus College at Cambridge University was found to have accepted £155,000 in funding from the company to produce a white paper on communications reforms.
The Telegraph reported earlier this year that Huawei backed 17 scientific papers with UK universities for technology which could have both military and civilian uses.
All of the universities denied any wrongdoing. Huawei insisted the technologies researched were “common areas of research for telecoms equipment suppliers” and said that it has strict rules to ensure the research it backs is not used for military purposes.
Oxford University suspended all research grants and donations from Huawei at the start of 2019 following a Telegraph story which revealed the extensive links between the business and the country’s leading research universities.
Bob Seely, a Conservative MP who has been a vocal critic of Huawei’s involvement in the UK, said: “In general, our universities have a problem with Chinese money. We need to be wise to what is happening.”
“It just seems a bit odd considering universities’ sometimes lackadaisical attitude to money from China,” he added. “We’ve all got to be a little bit smarter about this.”
The Sunday Telegraph first revealed earlier this month how Huawei technology would be stripped out from the core 5G network in a major about-turn after concerns were raised by GCHQ.
The decision was confirmed this week when Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, told the Commons no infrastructure will be left by 2027.
It came after Boris Johnson chaired a meeting of the National Security Council at which a final decision on Huawei’s future as a supplier was reached.
The imposition of new US sanctions, which ban the sale of components used in Huawei equipment, has been deemed a “game changer” for its role in the UK’s 5G network.
However, the Prime Minister could still face a fresh rebellion from Tory MPs who want to bring forward the 2027 deadline, raising the prospect of backbenchers tabling amendments that could hasten its removal.
A Huawei spokesman said: “The campus ambassador role is one that is common amongst larger companies with links to universities across the world. Typically they help organise events such as job fairs and student competitions.”