Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is urging Britain to reconsider allowing a Chinese telecommunications company to supply equipment to be used in the country’s new 5G wireless network.
Pompeo, 56, spoke to reporters on his plane while flying to London on Wednesday, according to Reuters. He reiterated that allowing the technology giant Huawei to provide equipment for the network risks compromising the system.
“There is also a chance for the United Kingdom to relook at this as implementation moves forward,” Pompeo said. “We will make sure that when American information passes across a network, we are confident that that network is a trusted one … Our view of Huawei is: putting it in your system creates real risk.”
The secretary of state is scheduled to meet with his United Kingdom counterpart Dominic Raab and Prime Minister Boris Johnson to talk about Huawei as well as other issues during his trip. Johnson approved Huawei’s limited role on building Britain’s 5G network on Wednesday.
The United States had pushed Britain to exclude Huawei technology from the country’s network over concerns that the Chinese government was using it to expand its global surveillance infrastructure and influence. Johnson decided to work with Huawei despite U.S. warnings, prompting blowback from American politicians and leaders.
“This decision has the potential to jeopardize U.S.-U.K. intelligence-sharing agreements and could greatly complicate a U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement,” GOP South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said. “I hope the British government will reconsider its decision.”
The British government has labeled Huawei a “high-risk vendor” and said that the Chinese company would only help build nonessential parts of its 5G network. Huawei technology is also banned from military bases and key energy infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
Pompeo’s trip abroad comes after the State Department barred an NPR reporter from accompanying him. NPR has demanded that Pompeo provide a reason for blocking its correspondent, longtime department reporter Michele Kelemen. Kelemen was removed from the travel pool for the trip after the secretary of state berated another NPR reporter, Mary Louise Kelly, over the subject of a recent interview.
Pompeo accused Kelly of breaking an agreement not to ask questions about Ukraine during the interview last week. Kelly denied Pompeo’s claim, and a colleague of hers claimed there is a “chain of emails” showing that Pompeo or his staff knew Kelly planned to ask him about Ukraine.
