CIA warning over Huawei – The Times
What happened: The Times reported on Sunday that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had accused Chinese telecom giant Huawei of receiving funding from the People’s Liberation Army, China’s National Security Commission, and a third branch of the Chinese state intelligence network, citing a “UK source.” The CIA shared the claims with other members of the “Five Eyes,” an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, earlier this year. The CIA awarded a “strong but not iron-cast classification of certainty” to its finding and added that the Chinese ministry of state security had approved the funding, according to the report.
Why it’s important: The latest news is the most specific to date concerning US allegations about the nature of Huawei’s relationship with the Chinese government, though the company has stressed that it is not controlled by any government agency. The allegations come as the US campaigns to persuade its allies to ban Huawei equipment from their 5G network rollouts. The US accusation was based on the assumption that Huawei would have “no choice but to comply with demands of the Chinese government,” but this time the CIA provides evidence: its funding. Again, Huawei responded by saying that the accusation is backed up by “zero evidence from anonymous sources.”