Merkel insists Germany has its own standards after US warning on Huawei
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has hit back at a warning from the US over the use of Huawei 5G equipment, saying Germany will set its own security standards for the new network.
“Security, particularly when it comes to the expansion of the 5G network, but also elsewhere in the digital area, is a very important concern for the German government, so we are defining our standards for ourselves,” Merkel said, according to Reuters.
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The comments came after it emerged the US ambassador to Germany had warned the US will cut back intelligence sharing with security agencies if the country does not ban the use of Huawei’s equipment in its 5G network.
In a letter to the German economy minister, US ambassador Richard Grenell said Chinese companies can be forced to share information with security agencies by law and that inspections of Huawei’s technology were not enough to ensure there were no vulnerabilities.
Grenell warned Germany’s economy minister that the US could not maintain the same level of cooperation with German security agencies if Huawei were allowed to participate in the country’s 5G network.
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But when asked about the warning, Merkel suggested Germany will not bow to US pressure.
“We will also discuss these questions with our partners in Europe, as well as the appropriate offices in the United States,” she added.