Focus on Arts and Ecology

May 20, 2022 

The Chinese embassy in Canada on Thursday slammed Ottawa's plan to ban telecom products from Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE, saying the move violates market economy principles and free trade rules.

The government of Canada announced on Thursday that it intended to prohibit Canadian telecommunications service providers from deploying Huawei and ZTE products and services in their 5G networks, citing the so-called "national security" concerns, according to a government policy statement posted online.

"The Canadian side claimed it had negotiated with its allies about the decision. To put it bluntly, it's just working with the U.S. to suppress Chinese companies. The so-called 'security' concerns are just a pretext for political manipulation," the spokesperson for the embassy said in a statement published on its website said.

A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce called the ban "a wrong decision" and said the move will damage the commercial interests of relevant enterprises in both China and Canada.

According to the Canadian policy statement, the use of new 5G equipment and services from Huawei and ZTE will be prohibited, and existing 5G equipment and managed services must be removed or terminated by June 28, 2024.

(Sources: China Report)