The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) trusts the UK government’s decision to allow Huawei to participate in building the non-core elements of UK’s 5G network will stand, said CBBC.
“CBBC warmly welcomes the UK government’s decision to allow Huawei to participate in building the non-core elements of [the UK’s] 5G network. We trust that that decision will stand,” said Matthew Rous, CBBC group chief executive, in an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Tuesday.
China-UK relations have been plagued with uncertainty due to the UK’s interference in China’s internal affairs with regard to Hong Kong and its ambivalent stance on Huawei in its 5G plan.
“The UK has been swaying over issues concerning Huawei and Hong Kong, closely following the US, but UK business groups understand that cooperation with China and Chinese companies like Huawei will only bring about more business opportunities and benefits, especially after Brexit,” said Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
CBBC said on Tuesday that it believes the two countries should deepen their mutual trust by encouraging companies from both nations to look for opportunities in each other’s markets.
The UK broke rank with the US in January, saying it would allow Huawei to supply up to a third of equipment for non-core parts of its 5G networks, but later twice changed its stance – once saying it would remove Huawei gear completely by 2023 and then that it would block the use of such equipment after 2023, according to iWire on Tuesday.
Although the UK’s stance on Huawei is not exactly like those of Australia and the US, the UK needs to do more to further clarify which core and non-core elements Huawei will be allowed to participate in during its 5G development, Bai said.
“On the one hand, the UK government looks to US’ attitude. On the other hand, it does not want to lose the Chinese market and cooperation opportunities with Chinese companies, but this greedy attitude is unrealistic,” said Bai, noting that the UK should show its resolve once and for all.
Over the last two decades, Chinese companies have invested more in the UK than in any other European country, and two-thirds of recently surveyed CBBC members said they are not considering switching their focus away from China following the pandemic, according to CBBC.
“China is now the UK’s third-largest export market. Our members remain committed to investing in China, which they see as one of the world’s most attractive growth markets,” said Rous.
A staff member tests the speed with a Huawei 5G mobile phone at Huawei 5G Innovation and Experience Center in London, Britain, on Jan. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
