China Blasts ‘Unfair’ Huawei Equipment Bans by Other Countries

(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.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Miao Han in Beijing at mhan22@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Edward Johnson, Stanley James

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With assistance from Bloomberg