US secretary of state Mike Pompeo pressed the UK to reconsider its decision to allow the use of Huawei kit in 5G networks, but stopped short of following through on a threat to cut intelligence sharing ties, The Guardian reported.
Pompeo said the US was yet to fully assess the UK’s move, telling the newspaper his nation’s reaction would be based on the implementation of the plan. Work by US authorities to foster alternative vendors would offer the UK a chance to change course in future, he added.
The US previously threatened to cut intelligence sharing ties with allies, most notably the UK and Germany, if they did not block Huawei. The UK is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, alongside Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
While he didn’t say outright whether the UK’s limited clearance for Huawei would impact that alliance or other intelligence sharing, Reuters reported Pompeo warned the US would ensure networks used to carry “American information” are “trusted”.
Bloomberg reported Canada’s public safety minister Bill Blair said the nation will carefully examine the UK policy and weigh “what they have put in place to protect their digital environment” as part of an ongoing cybersecurity review of network kit.
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