While Huawei and ZTE have been around for a while, it seems that in recent times both companies have come under fire from the US government for allegedly spying for the Chinese government, so much so that US President Donald Trump has actually banned the use of devices from both companies by government officials and government contractors.As if facing hurdles in the US market wasn’t bad enough, it looks like that has spilled over to Australia where according to a report from Reuters, the Australian government has reportedly banned both Huawei and ZTE from supplying 5G equipment to the country. The government cited risks of foreign interference and hacking, in which China denied and claimed that it was an excuse to “tilt” the playing field.
Unsurprisingly the Chinese government isn’t too thrilled by this development, and over in Beijing, China, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, “We urge the Australian government to abandon ideological prejudices and provide a fair competitive environment for Chinese companies’ operations in Australia.”
That being said even if has been proven that Huawei and ZTE aren’t spying for the Chinese government, as pointed out by the report from Reuters, a law passed in China last year requires companies and citizens to support, assist, and cooperate with intelligence work. This means that in theory and by law, Huawei and ZTE would have to comply with their government’s requests should it ever be made.