CHINESE telecom Huawei has hit back at assertion by the Australian government that the company poses a national security risk, labelling it as “ill-informed” after being superseded by Australia in an infrastructure project in the Solomon Islands.
The letter written by three Huawei Australia board members, described comments surrounding the potential security risks of employing the company in infrastructure projects as “ill-informed and not based on facts”.
The letter comes after the Australian government undercut Huawei’s bid to build the Solomon Island’s underwater internet infrastructure, citing national security concerns.
Last week, Australia won the contract build the Solomon Island’s 4,000 km underwater internet network, underbid Huawei’s winning bid by 50 percent.
Huawei was awarded the contract last year, but security concerns from both Australia and the Solomon Islands led the island nation to renege on the deal.
The letter is also likely to precede a bid by Huawei to be part of the roll-out of the 5G mobile network in Australia, reported AFR.
Huawei has been marred in security concerns for years.
In March 2018, Taiwan banned the use of Huawei, as well as all Chinese phones throughout their entire military.
In February 2018, the heads of the FBI, CIA and NSA said that U.S. citizens should not use products made by Huawei, citing cyber-security risks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
In March 2012, Huawei was banned from bidding to build Australia’s new internet network on the basis of national security concerns.
–TAIWAN NEWS
