Huawei is a national security threat, warns ex-Google boss

Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt has warned that Huawei poses a national security threat and claims “there’s no question” information from its routers have “ultimately ended up” in the hands of the Chinese government.

Mr Schmidt, current chair to the Defence Innovation Advisory board for the Pentagon, said the telecoms firm had engaged in acts vthat are not acceptable in national security.”

“There’s no question that information from Huawei routers has ultimately ended up in hands that would appear to be the state,” Mr Schmidt said in a BBC interview.

He likened Huawei to spy organisations such as GCHQ, describing their operations as a form of “signals intelligence” that work on behalf of the state. Huawei has repeatedly denied such claims, describing itself as a privately-owned firm that has never passed on data to authorities.

He also called on western firms to build more advanced technologies to compete with the Chinese telecoms giant.

The comments from the former Google boss come following months of pressure from the US on the Chinese firm over its role in next-generation 5G mobile networks in Western countries.

Huawei, which generated $123bn (£98bn) in revenue last year, also faces scrutiny in the UK, where the government has launched a sweeping review of Huawei’s 5G equipment over security fears.