Japan set for ban on China

JAPAN is reportedly set to effectively ban government purchases of telecommunications products from China’s Huawei and ZTE over fears of intelligence leaks and cyber attacks.

The government is expected to revise its rules on procurement as early as Monday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported yesterday.

Japan was unlikely to name the two companies, to avoid aggravating China, but Huawei and ZTE were to be subject to the ban, the report said, citing a government source.

The report follows a decision by the US this year to ban government purchases of Huawei gear.

US intelligence agencies allege Huawei is linked to China’s government and that its equipment could contain “backdoors” for use by spies, although no evidence has been produced publicly and the firm has denied the claims.

Britain’s BT Group said on Wednesday it was removing Huawei’s equipment from the core of its existing 3G and 4G mobile operations and would not use the Chinese company in central parts of the next network.