Marco Rubio, Mark Warner tell Justin Trudeau ban Huawei 5G, ‘security risk’

Marco Rubio.
AP
Photo/Wilfredo Lee

• Senators Marco Rubio and Mark Warner warned Canada about
  Chinese telecom giant Huawei providing 5G internet in Canada
  because it’s an “unacceptable risk to national
  security.” 
• The Senators wrote to Justin Trudeau on Thursday to say
  that Huawei is under
   the control of China’s
  Communist Party. 
• “There is ample evidence to suggest that no major Chinese
  company is independent of the Chinese government,” they
  added.
• Huawei is the world’s largest maker of
  telecommunications equipment.

Two prominent Senators on the the select intelligence
committee asked Canadian President Justin Trudeau to block
Chinese telecom company Huawei from providing 5G networks in
Canada because they are a “significant security risk.”

Republican Marco Rubio and vice-chair Democrat Mark Warner
said in a letter sent on Thursday,
and obtained by The Globe and Mail, that Canada can’t be sure
Huawei isn’t being controlled by the Chinese government.

They wrote: “As you are aware, Huawei is not a normal
private-sector company. There is ample evidence to suggest that
no major Chinese company is independent of the Chinese government
and Communist Party − and Huawei is no exception.”

Chinese law says companies must “support, co-operate with,
and collaborate in national intelligence work,” the Globe and
Mail reported.

Huawei
surpassed Apple to become the second biggest smartphone seller
this year.
Shutterstock

Rubio and Warner say they are worried about “Canadian
national security” and damage to the “Five Eyes” joint
intelligence project.

“Five Eyes” is a partnership between the US, UK, Canada,
Australia, and New Zealand which shares information to prevent
terrorism and strengthen national security. 

5G.
AP Photo/Francisco Seco

The US and Australia have reportedly blocked Huawei from
supplying the equipment to connect new smartphones to the
internet.

The pair wrote the letter because Canada’s top
cybersecurity official, Scott Jones, rejected blacklisting Huawei
because the country’s defenses can withstand foreign
interference.

The Globe and Mail reported the chiefs of six US
intelligence agencies and three former heads of Canada’s spy
services say they consider Huawei one of the world’s top cyber
intelligence threats.

Huawei is the world’s largest maker of telecommunications
equipment.