New Zealand To Carry Out Its Own Assessment Of Huawei Equipment Risk

On February 18, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, said that this country will carry out an independent risk assessment of using 5G equipment of Huawei Technologies following a report suggesting that other nations could use British precautions.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

This biggest telecom equipment manufacturer in the world is subjected to extreme scrutiny in the Western countries over the relationship with China and U.S.-led allegations that Beijing could use its equipment for spying.

There is no evidence that has been publicized and Huawei has reportedly denied all relevant allegations, leading to the wide restriction of Huawei’s access in various Western countries.

According to the Financial Times report, the UK decided that it is likely to mitigate the potential risks occurring when using Huawei’s 5G equipment. The report also said that the conclusion of the UK could “carry great weight” with the leaders of the EU and other countries could use the same precautions.

The intelligence agency of New Zealand rejected the first request from Spark, a telecommunications service provider, to use Huawei’s 5G equipment.

And then the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) offered Spark choices to mitigate concerns of national security over Huawei equipment use, according to Ardern.

“The ball is now in their court,” added she in a weekly news conference.

She also shared that New Zealand, the Five Eyes anglophone intelligence alliance’s member like the U.S. and the UK, would carry out its dependent assessment.

She said:

Huawei New Zealand didn't respond immediately to a comment request. And in an emailed statement, Andrew Pirie, Spark’s spokesman, said:

The decision of Huawei, in addition to the tougher stance of the government on the growing power in the Pacific of China, has made some foreign policy analysts and politicians concerned about the potential strained relationships with a major trading partner.

Ardern planned to visit Beijing for the first time but she had scheduling troubles, and China also postponed its key campaign of tourism in New Zealand last week.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the relationship between New Zealand’s government and China was still strong in spite of some complicated issues.

She said while adding that the ties of trade and tourism remained strong: