Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that the decision to ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei is the decision to be made, the day after his government’s expected announcement in nearly three years.
• Read also: Huawei said it was an “unfortunate political decision”.
• Read also: China condemns ‘unfounded’ Huawei 5G ban in Canada
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“It’s a responsible decision for Canada, it’s a decision that protects Canadians, and it’s a decision we will move forward with,” he said on the sidelines.
The Ministers of Innovation, François-Philippe Champagne, and Public Security, Marco Mendicino, announced on Thursday the ban of Huawei and ZTE from the Canadian 5G network, after an in-depth review by security agencies.
“People have long been wondering when Canada will make that decision. […] “We had a great time studying the situation and observing what our allies did,” the prime minister explained.
However, Mr. Trudeau has remained quite evasive about fearing possible repercussions from China.
“I think that China, like all different countries, will realize how much each country has the right to ensure the safety of its citizens,” he answered when asked about the question.
“We are not alone, there are many of our allied partners around the world who have made similar decisions, because the truth is that in an age when we see the arrival of 5G, we know to what extent technologies will become more and more present in our daily lives.”
For its part, China criticized the Ottawa declaration, saying it was an “unfounded” ban.
The state said it would take “all necessary measures” to defend Chinese companies, without giving further details about those possibilities.
Recall that relations between China and Canada deteriorated after the December 2018 arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, during an extradition request from the United States.
Tensions escalated when China imprisoned Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.
– With AFP
