Canada and France claim Huawei’s aid masks do not affect the decision to choose which companies build 5G networks

Huawei is suffering from allegations by some US lawmakers that it donates masks to countries such as France and Canada in order to win over and earn contracts to build 5G networks in these countries.

However, the Canadian and French sides have denied the allegations. The two countries also affirmed that Huawei’s donation of masks does not affect their decision on whether to allow Huawei to participate in building 5G networks.

Huawei previously donated about 6 million masks and protective equipment to Canada. Huawei is also seeking federal approval to join the 5G network building in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later confirmed that donating Huawei masks does not affect the decisions to build 5G networks.

Currently Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is still detained in Canada and is at risk of extradition to the United States for trial.

Not only donating masks to Canada and France, Huawei previously also donated hundreds of thousands of masks to Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and about 12,000 masks to Poland and Politico.

The US has always considered Huawei a national security risk, even asserting that Huawei is the “inner hand” of the Chinese government when it believes that Huawei is taking advantage of telecommunications technology to spy on the United States. . The United States has also tried to persuade many allies and Western countries to ban Huawei from participating in building 5G networks to avoid security risks and reveal allies’ secrets.

But despite US calls, countries like the United Kingdom have already embarked with Huawei or plan to choose Huawei. Meanwhile, some other US allies such as Australia and Japan have decided to eliminate Huawei.

In an interview with Fox News recently, Congressman Mark Green revealed that French President Emmanuel Macron had asked President Xi Jinping to provide France with about 1 billion masks. Green also accused Xi of setting conditions that if China sent France a mask, it would have to use Huawei’s 5G network technology.

But after Green’s statement, the French embassy in the US denied that Mr Xi had discussed the mask issue with Emmanuel Macron. It is not clear whether Huawei giving a mask to France is a way to please France.

Neither France nor Huawei have commented on the matter.

Speaking to CNBC, Cameron Fergus Ryan, an analyst at the Australian Institute of Strategic Policy (ASPI), said: “It would be naive to think that these aid would be entirely humanitarian. China’s big conglomerate like any big conglomerate from other countries will take advantage of this move to realize its commercial goals. “

Ryan also said that Huawei’s giving a mask to the Netherlands is also a way to access this market, because the Netherlands is expected to hold an auction to select a 5G network contractor in June.

In Poland, Huawei wants to act to support its mask that will help it regain its image with officials after a company’s sales manager was arrested on charges of espionage.

Some senior politicians in Europe also agree that Huawei’s help move has its own motive. Before Europe, Huawei also quietly donated masks and medical equipment to New York, the state that suffered the most damage because of Covid-19 in the US even though Huawei is still banned in the United States.

Huawei is not the only Chinese technology company to donate medical protective equipment. The Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation have donated about 7 million masks to nearly 2 dozen Asian countries and hundreds of thousands of Covid-19 test kits and protective gear,

Refer to CNBC