Norway intelligence service issues Huawei warning

Norway's intelligence service PST on Monday issued a warning about Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, whose ties to Beijing have sparked security concerns.

"One has to be attentive about Huawei as an actor and about the close connections between a commercial actor like Huawei and the Chinese regime," the head of Norway's domestic intelligence unit PST, Benedicte Bjornland, said as she presented a national risk assessment report for 2019.

"An actor like Huawei could be subject to influence from its home country as long as China has an intelligence law that requires private individuals, entities and companies to cooperate with China," she said.

In Norway, the main telecoms operators Telenor and Telia -- which chose Huawei to supply their 4G networks -- are gearing up for the roll-out of 5G.

Several countries like the United States have banned Huawei 5G telecoms equipment for security reasons. The Scandinavian country is considering ways of limiting its exposure.

"As far as we're concerned, it's about setting up a regulatory framework to protect what could be considered critical infrastructure," Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara said at the same press conference.

"What this regulatory framework would look like, and what it would cover, is what we're working on right now," he said.

Norway is treading cautiously on the issue, after China's angry reaction to the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, triggering lengthy diplomatic and trade repercussions from Beijing's side.

Denmark expels 2 Huawei staff over work permit issues (lead)
Copenhagen (AFP) Feb 4, 2019 - Denmark has ordered the expulsion of two employees of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei because their residence and work permits were not in order, Copenhagen police said Monday.

"On Thursday, the Copenhagen police carried out a routine check of the residence and work permits," at Huawei's offices, a Copenhagen police source told AFP.

"In two cases, the people didn't have the proper paperwork."

The pair, who were not identified, were ordered to leave the country, the source said.

Huawei, founded by former army engineer Ren Zhengfei, has become a leading supplier of the backbone equipment for mobile networks, particularly in developing markets thanks to cheaper prices.

Spearheading cutting-edge 5G equipment has also seen it make inroads into developed markets.

However, a growing number of Western states are turning their backs on Huawei, on concerns its technology could be a Trojan horse for Beijing's intrusive security apparatus as Chinese law requires all firms to cooperate with the intelligence services.

Huawei strenuously denies its equipment could be used for espionage.

Copenhagen police said the expulsion of the two Huawei employees was in no way linked to espionage concerns.

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