China on Friday hit out at Canada for banning Chinese telecoms giants Huawei and ZTE from Canadian 5G networks, warning of retribution and signalling a fresh bout of diplomatic tension between Beijing and Ottawa.
Citing national security issues, Canada on Thursday said it plans to ban the use of China’s Huawei Technologies’ and ZTE Corp’ 5G gear, joining the rest of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network comprising the US, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
“We intend to exclude Huawei and ZTE from our 5G networks,” Canadian industry minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters in Ottawa.
“Providers who already have this equipment installed will be required to cease its use and remove it under the plans we’re announcing today,” Champagne was quoted by Reuters as saying.
The remaining four members of the alliance have already banned Huawei.
The development left Beijing fuming and within hours the Chinese foreign ministry called Ottawa’s security risk concerns “groundless”.
“China is firmly opposed to this and will conduct a comprehensive and serious assessment,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the regular ministry press conference in Beijing on Friday.
“The Canadian side has excluded these Chinese companies from the Canadian market under the pretext of groundless security risks and without any solid evidence,” Wang said, adding that Beijing would “take all necessary measures” to protect Chinese companies without elaborating.
“This move runs counter to market economy principles and free trade rules,” Wang continued, accusing the Canadian government of “seriously damaging the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
The issue of Huawei is particularly sensitive to China given that Canada had arrested the company’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in December 2018 – on a US warrant — just months after Ottawa said it would review possible threats to national security in using Huawei equipment in its network.
Bilateral ties plunged with Beijing arresting two Canadians on spying charges soon after.
China consistently denied that the arrest of the two Canadians were part of what is called “hostage diplomacy” or tit-for-tat arrests.
That particular diplomatic feud ended last September when all three were released – on the same day.
“On the same day Meng flew back home, Canadian media outlets reported that two Canadians – Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor – left China on a plane back to Canada,” a Chinese state media report said in September.
While Kovrig had been accused of using an ordinary passport and business visa to enter China to steal sensitive information and intelligence through contacts in China since 2017, Spavor was accused of being a key source of intelligence for Kovrig.
