Just one in 10 Brits trusts Huawei amid China spying fears
While the UK is yet to decide whether or not it will allow Huawei to participate in the country’s 5G network, it seems the public may already have made up its mind.
Just one in 10 Brits said they trust the controversial Chinese tech firm, according to a new survey from Yougov, while 22 per cent say they would “ never” buy the company’s handsets.
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Shenzhen-based Huawei has been blacklisted by US President Donald Trump over fears the company’s equipment could be used for spying by authorities in Beijing.
Trump has urged US allies to follow suit, though Prime Minister Boris Johnson is yet to issue a verdict on whether the UK will ban Huawei.
Furthermore, the survey showed trust in Huawei has declined during a turbulent year for the Chinese telecoms giant.
In December 2018, 19 per cent of British consumers said they’d consider buying a Huawei product, though this declined to 15 per cent by June 2019.
Huawei has also denied allegations of wrongdoing, and has accused the US of launching a politically-motivated campaign against it.
While the growing distrust has likely been fuelled by the controversy surrounding 5G, Huawei may also have fallen victim to the UK’s broader wariness about China.
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More than 60 per cent of Brits consider the People’s Republic untrustworthy, according to Yougov, with only Russia garnering greater suspicion.
China also scores lowest for perceived quality, with more than a third of Brits considering its products substandard.