(Bloomberg) -- China’s foreign minister urged countries not to use “fabricated” excuses to block Huawei Technologies Co., as Vodafone Group Plc joined a list of companies that are shunning the telecommunications equipment supplier.
“Using national power to tarnish and take measures against a certain company, without any evidence, is both unfair and immoral,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters late Friday as he wrapped up a trip to France and Italy.
While Wang said every nation was entitled to protect its information security, that approach shouldn’t be abused, according to a statement on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website. He didn’t mention Huawei by name, or Vodafone’s announcement on Friday, but was responding to a question about the recent global crackdown on the Chinese supplier.
The move by Vodafone follows a decision by BT Group Plc to rip Huawei gear out of the backbone of its U.K. mobile network. Deutsche Telekom AG, Europe’s largest carrier and a major Huawei customer, is also reviewing its purchasing strategy.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has been pushing allies to block Huawei from fifth-generation wireless networks, citing fears that China could use its equipment for spying -- something the firm’s executives have denied. China’s largest telecom-equipment supplier faces bans in the U.S., Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
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