U.K. Invites 'Five Eyes' Spies to Trade Internet Crime Secrets

(Bloomberg) -- The heads of the international “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing agencies from the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand will join the U.K. at a summit in Glasgow, Scotland, to discuss ways to combat cyber-crime and terrorism, as the host nation mulls a partial or total ban on telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co. over national security concerns.

The Chinese company’s equipment is currently a key part of Britain’s biggest networks and officials look likely to roll out a regime of restrictions while stopping short of full prohibition, according to people familiar with the matter.

The issue was thrashed out at a meeting of the National Security Council, attended by hawkish cabinet ministers expressing concerns, pitched against others voicing worries about the effects on business and international relations with China.

The Times newspaper reported April 20 the CIA told British spy chiefs that Huawei received funding from branches of Beijing’s state security apparatus, a claim denied by the company. Alex Younger, the head of MI6, Britain’s international intelligence agency, told reporters in February he’d come under no pressure from the U.S. over Huawei. His assertion was echoed by Ciaran Martin, CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre in an interview Feb. 20.

“Each nation has sovereignty to defend itself as it sees best fit, but it’s vital that we work closely with our allies to make the world as safe as possible,” Martin will say in Glasgow, according to his office.

The Trump administration is pressuring other countries not to use Huawei equipment for the next generation of mobile phone networks, known as 5G, saying the Chinese government could use the products for espionage.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert Jameson

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