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is, if that equipment is co-located where we have important American systems, it makes it more di cult for us to partner alongside them.”

Pompeo said he had raised the concerns with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and would also do so with nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been criticized for seeking closer ties with Russia and China and for increasingly authoritarian rule at home.

“We want to make sure we identify (to) them the opportunities and the risks with using that equipment. And then they will get to make their decisions,” Pompeo said.

The U.S. has repeatedly accused China of using technology to pilfer trade secrets. China recently has said that it’s “totally unreasonable” to make some of these accusations and that the U.S. is just trying to suppress a rising competitor.

At a news conference with Pompeo, Szijjarto acknowledged that Huawei is present in Hungary but played down its position in the market. He also made the point repeatedly that Hungary accounts for only 1.2 percent of European Union trade with China.

“This does not endanger us from being an ally,” Szijjarto said.

Pompeo will take the same message about Huawei to his next stop, Slovakia, on Tuesday, before heading to Poland, where he will participate in a conference on the future of the Middle East expected to focus on Iran. He will wrap up the tour