Huawei sacks employee following arrest in Poland on spying charges
The Huawei employee arrested this week in Poland on suspicion of spying for the Chinese government has been fired, the company said today.
Wang Weijing was detained by Polish authorities yesterday alongside an Orange employee, who is reportedly a former agent in Poland’s security service.
Huawei today said it has dismissed Weijing, stating his alleged actions have no relation to the company. “The incident in question has brought Huawei into disrepute,” the firm added.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it is “greatly concerned” by the arrests and has urged Poland to act justly. Both men have heard the charges and could be held for three months, Reuters reported.
The Chinese telecoms giant is facing increasing scrutiny from the international community amid fears authorities in China could use the company’s technology for spying.
Western governments have raised concerns about the security of the firm’s products, with US authorities encouraging other nations to ban Huawei equipment.
In December Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested on suspicion of violating US sanctions relating to Iran.
Wanzhou, who is the daughter of the company’s founder, remains in Canada awaiting possible extradition to the US.
Despite the growing pressure, Huawei continues to expand its control over the telecoms industry. The firm claims to hold the largest number of 5G commercial contracts in the world.
But some governments are moving to block the Chinese firm, with Norway becoming the latest country to exclude Huawei from its 5G infrastructure plans.