ZCZC
BCN-04
HUAWEI-US-ASEAN-POLITICS-TECH-SCIENCE
Huawei pushes 5G in SEAsia, brushing off ‘tech war’ with US
BANGKOK, Nov 3, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – 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 is 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 (ASEAN)
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.
A Huawei spokesperson previously told AFP it had invested $5 billion in
the trials and has been invited to conduct similar tests in other Southeast
Asian markets.
Elsewhere the Philippines’ Globe Telecom said this summer it was launching
Southeast Asia’s first 5G broadband service using Huawei technology.
Both Thailand and the Philippines are historic US allies and some see the
tangle over 5G as a challenge of influence between the two powers.
But not all countries have been eager to sign up.
Vietnam has quietly sided with the US on the issue, shunning the Chinese
firm in favour of alternative providers for 5G technology, including Ericsson
and Nokia.
The country’s military-owned telecoms giant Viettel hopes to be the first
to roll out 5G in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and has said it plans to to do
so without Huawei, citing security concerns.
Zhou reiterated past statements by the company brushing aside the US
claims.
“There is not any cyber security issues for us. There is no evidence for
the US to say that,” he said.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1723 hrs