WARSAW • US Vice-President Mike Pence has praised Poland for its commitment to "protecting the telecoms sector from China", as part of a concerted push by Washington to convince its allies to exclude tech giant Huawei from their telecommunications projects.
Fuelled by concerns that Huawei products could be used by China for espionage, Mr Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have stressed the dangers of collaborating with the Chinese firm during appearances in Poland and central European neighbours this week.
"We must continue to work so that all investment review mechanisms protect critical security and economic infrastructure going forward," Mr Pence said during a joint press conference in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Huawei has repeatedly denied that its products could be used for espionage.
Last month, Poland arrested a Chinese employee of Huawei and a former Polish security official on spying allegations. Poland's government is also considering excluding Huawei equipment from its future 5G network, sources told Reuters.
"The recent action your government has taken against a Huawei executive and a Polish national accused of cooperating with him demonstrate your government's commitment to ensure our telecommunications sector is not compromised in a way that threatens our national security," Mr Pence said.
Earlier in the week, Mr Pompeo cautioned allies against using Huawei equipment during a trip to the region, saying it would make it more difficult for Washington to "partner alongside them".
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying hit back at Mr Pompeo's remarks on Wednesday, saying the US was using its state power to suppress Chinese companies' legitimate development rights and interests, according to a report by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Mr Pence's comments come as Poland is seeking to convince the United States to increase its military presence in the country. The number of US troops in Poland is capped at 4,500, but it fluctuates as formations rotate.
Poland, alarmed by Russia's assertiveness on Nato's eastern flank, has lobbied hard for the stationing of Nato troops on its soil, especially since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014. Mr Duda told US President Donald Trump in September on a trip to Washington that he would be willing to commit more than US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) to help facilitate the building of a permanent US base on Polish soil.
Austria's Technology Ministry and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel both said on Wednesday that an EU-wide agreement was needed on whether Huawei should be allowed to participate in building 5G networks in the bloc. The European Commission is considering a de facto ban on Huawei's 5G network equipment due to security concerns. But some European countries have been reluctant to follow American demands straightaway, and Huawei is determined to stay in the race for lucrative infrastructure projects.
Mr Andy Purdy, chief security officer at Huawei Technologies USA, said on Wednesday that the company is ready to face any extra security measures required, to compete to develop next-generation 5G networks in central and eastern Europe.
"The US government is very persistent, very determined and very forceful in communicating the messages about Huawei," Mr Purdy said in an interview. He also said that Huawei is ready to work with the Polish government on additional steps to build trust.
Mr Georg Mayer, the company's senior standards manager in Europe, said on Wednesday that the company has not as yet seen a slowdown in its business in Poland.
"We don't see slowdown in sales on Huawei equipment here... but if the situation continues, at some point, it will impact our business as well," Mr Mayer told a news conference in Warsaw.
REUTERS
