Hancock insisted that the government relied only on "technical advice" from its own experts: "All sorts of people can try to claim credit for the decision, but this was based on a technical assessment by the National Cyber Security Centre about how we could have the highest-quality 5G systems in the future."

On Tuesday, Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden unveiled a plan to ban British mobile operators from buying Huawei 5G equipment after December 31. The companies must also get rid of all of their existing Huawei 5G kits by 2027. Dowden argued that close ties with the Chinese telecoms giant expose Britain to security risks.

Philip Jansen, the CEO of telecoms company BT, warned that a rushed decision to cut ties with Huawei and remove its gear could potentially hurt millions of British mobile customers and even result in "outages."

The Trump administration blacklisted Huawei last year, citing the threat of Beijing using Huawei for surveillance and espionage. Trump and other senior US officials have repeatedly pressured their allies in Europe, including the UK and Germany, to take action against Huawei.

Both Huawei and China have denied all allegations of using the company's capabilities for spying. A spokesperson for Huawei blasted the ban, arguing that purging its gear out of UK's 5G network will only slow down the nation's digital development and increase bills for British consumers.

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China promises 'firm response' to Trump's order ending Hong Kong's special status
Helen Davidson - Wed 15 Jul 2020 09.35 BST

China has vowed to retaliate after Donald Trump ordered an end to Hong Kong's special status under US law to punish China for what he called "aggressive actions" against the former British colony.

Citing China's decision to enact a new national security law for Hong Kong, the US president said he signed an executive order that will end the preferential economic treatment Hong Kong has received for years. "No special privileges, no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies", he told a news conference.

In a strongly worded response, China's ministry of foreign affairs said no country has the right to interfere in what it deemed "purely China's internal affairs".

"US efforts to thwart the implementation of Hong Kong's national security will never succeed. In order to defend its own legitimate interests, China will respond as necessary and impose sanctions on the relevant American individuals and entities.

"We urge the US to correct its mistakes. If the US stubbornly pursues this path, China will give a firm response."

Acting on a Tuesday deadline, Trump also signed a bill approved by the US Congress to penalise banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement the new security law.

"Today I signed legislation, and an executive order to hold China accountable for its aggressive actions against the people of Hong Kong," Trump said. "Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China."

The White House later released the full text of the executive order, outlining the penalties and suspensions, as well as newly reallocated admissions within the US refugee ceiling "to residents of Hong Kong based on humanitarian concerns".

The order suspended multiple sections of legislation governing US immigration, arms exports and defence production, and eliminated US preference for Hong Kong passport holders as compared to People's Republic of China passport holders.

It also suspended extradition and prisoner transfer agreements, took steps to end US training of Hong Kong police and security officers, and suspended or terminated academic partnerships with Hong Kong including the Fulbright exchange program.

The order allows for the freezing of US-based property and interests of foreign persons linked to the new national security laws, or found to be involved in international human rights abuses, or in the limiting or penalising of independent media and freedom of expression.

Critics of the security law fear it will crush the wide-ranging freedoms promised to Hong Kong when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

The security law punishes what Beijing broadly defines as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

US relations with China have already been strained over the global coronavirus pandemic, China's military buildup in the South China Sea, its treatment of Uighur Muslims and massive trade surpluses.

North Korea's leadership spoke out in support of China on Wednesday. "It is an extremely sinister act that a non-Asian country across the ocean, not being content with its reckless remarks over the issue of the South China Sea, has hurled abuses at the [Chinese Communist Party]," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Ending Hong Kong's special economic status could be a double-edged sword for the United States. Hong Kong was the source of the largest bilateral US goods trade surplus last year, at $26.1bn, based on US Census Bureau data. It is also a major destination for US legal and accounting business. More than 1,300 US firms have offices there.

The former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a law protecting freedoms of speech, assembly and the press until 2047 under "one country-two systems".

The legislation Trump signed calls for sanctions on Chinese officials and others who help violate Hong Kong's autonomy, and financial institutions that do business with those found to have participated in any crackdown on the city.

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