Blowhard Pompeo takes aim at Huawei, other Chinese tech companies: 'Trojan Horses' for Beijing spying

RT
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 17:49 UTC

© Reuters / REUTERS/Andreas Gebert/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds

Mike Pompeo, Wang Yi and Mark Esper at the Munich Security Conference

Tech firms that receive support from Beijing serve as instruments of Chinese intelligence, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has alleged, in the latest verbal volley aimed at Huawei and other Chinese companies.

"Huawei and other Chinese state-backed tech companies are Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence," Pompeo said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. The US secretary of state took on the Chinese tech giant while speaking about what he believes are the biggest threats to modern security.

Mirroring Pompeo's sentiments, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told the conference that Washington would like to see "allied and US tech companies" develop their own technologies in order to compete with Chinese firms.

"Developing our own secure 5G networks will outweigh any perceived gains from partnering with heavily subsidized Chinese providers that answer to party leadership," he said. The technology for such networks is currently being tested at US military bases, Esper added.

Describing Huawei as a "poster child" for China's "nefarious strategy" to infiltrate Western infrastructure, Esper warned that the tech firm could endanger NATO if necessary action isn't taken.

Huawei has acknowledged that it receives "some policy support from the Chinese government," but insists that it does not receive any "additional or special treatment" from Beijing.

Earlier this week, the US Justice Department issued a new indictment against Huawei, accusing the Chinese firm of conspiring to steal trade secrets from as many as six US companies.

President Donald Trump formally banned Huawei tech from the US market in May last year, but since then the US Commerce Department has repeatedly extended a temporary general license, allowing the company to buy components from its US-based suppliers.

Washington has lobbied its European allies to ban Huawei from helping to develop their 5G networks, claiming that the tech firm poses a serious security threat. The warnings, however, have been largely waved away by US partners.

The European Union has left it up to individual member states to decide whether they want to do business with Huawei. Countries such as Germany, Italy and Portugal have already signaled that they are opposed to US pressure to drop the Chinese company. The UK granted Huawei a limited role in its 5G mobile network in January, a move which has infuriated Washington.

Comment: China fires back:

Beijing has issued a scathing rebuke of Mike Pompeo's claim that China is involved in covert activities as part of its desire to obtain greater power, noting that the allegation might be true - if he were referring to Washington.

"All these accusations against China are lies, not based on facts," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "But if we replace the subject of the lie from China to America, maybe those lies become facts?"

Washington has repeatedly claimed that Huawei poses an existential security threat to its allies. However, these allegations have been largely dismissed by Europe. The UK has already decided to allow Huawei limited participation in its 5G network, and countries such as Germany, Portugal and Italy have been vocal critics of US pressure to cut all ties with the Chinese firm.

It doesn't seem to matter how many times Huawei assures the Deep State neocons it has no intention of conducting intelligence activities or how many other cyber experts confirm those assertions. China bad is the message for the masses.

• Huawei ready to work with foreign nations to eliminate security concerns
• Belgian cybersecurity agency determines there are no security threats from Huawei tech
• No-brainer: German cyber watchdog BSI says no evidence that Huawei spies
• Huawei set to abate 'spying fears' by signing 'no-back-door' agreement with India
• All snooping is bad but some is worse: Why is Huawei a worry if it's WhatsApp & Israel who messed up?
• Huawei getting most of its 5G contracts from Europe
• List of countries resisting US pressure to ban Huawei's 5G equipment

In the meantime, it has emerged that the US has in effect been running a global 'PRISM' illegal surveillance network, intercepting diplomatic messages of dozens of 'friendly' countries for decades, and that they did it by selling the hi-tech services of a Swiss encryption firm (which doubled as a CIA front) which had backdoor access.

Do as we say, not as we do!