US intelligence has accused Huawei Technologies Co (華為) of being funded by Chinese state security, the Times reported yesterday, adding to the list of allegations the Chinese technology company faces in the West.
The CIA accused Huawei of receiving funding from the Chinese Communist Party’s National Security Commission, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and a third branch of the Chinese state intelligence network, the British newspaper reported, citing a source.
Earlier this year, US intelligence shared its claims with other members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group: Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the report said.
Huawei dismissed the allegations in a statement cited by the Times.
“Huawei does not comment on unsubstantiated allegations backed up by zero evidence from anonymous sources,” a Huawei representative told the newspaper.
The company, the CIA and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The accusation came at a time of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, and amid concerns in the US that Huawei’s equipment could be used for espionage.
The company has said the concerns are unfounded.
Authorities in the US are probing Huawei for alleged sanctions violations.
Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟), Huawei’s chief financial officer and daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei (任正非), was arrested in Canada in December last year at the request of Washington on charges of bank and wire fraud in violation of US sanctions against Iran.
She denies wrongdoing and her father has previously said the arrest was “politically motivated.”
Amid such charges, top educational institutions in the West have recently severed ties with Huawei to avoid losing federal funding.
Reuters reported earlier this week that the US would push its allies at a meeting in Prague next month to adopt shared security and policy measures that would make it more difficult for Huawei to dominate 5G telecommunications networks.
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