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| Huawei has emerged as a key protagonist in the wider US-China trade war that has seen tit-for-tat tariffs imposed on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods (AFP Photo/STEFAN WERMUTH) |
Chinese phone giant Huawei said Sunday it was ready to roll out 5G infrastructure across Southeast Asia, dismissing US warnings its tech could be used to hoover up data for Beijing.
The firm
has emerged as a key protagonist in the wider US-China trade war that has seen
tit-for-tat tariffs imposed on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods.
President
Donald Trump's administration has warned Huawei's equipment could allow China
to spy on other countries and has effectively blocked American companies from
selling US technology to the firm.
But the
company has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying it is the victim of tech
envy.
Thailand
and the Philippines have shrugged off the cybersecurity warnings in a rush to
exploit the ultra-fast 5G network promised by the China's biggest smartphone
maker, while Vietnam has edged away from Huawei.
"China
and the US now is in the trade war and also there is some kind of technology
war (which) Huawei is very focused on at the moment," said Huawei
vice-president Edward Zhou at the Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) summit
on Sunday.
"We
are here to support the ASEAN (in) the development for the 5G."
Encompassing
hundreds of millions of people, the 10-member bloc wants the next-level
technology to help businesses, infrastructure and transport compete globally.
Host
country Thailand has welcomed Huawei with open arms, allowing it to set up a
test bed at a major university near the Thai capital.
A Huawei
spokesperson previously told AFP it had invested $5 billion in the trials and
has been invited to conduct similar tests in other Southeast Asian markets.
Elsewhere
the Philippines' Globe Telecom said this summer it was launching Southeast
Asia's first 5G broadband service using Huawei technology.
Both Thailand
and the Philippines are historic US allies and some see the tangle over 5G as a
challenge of influence between the two powers.
But not all
countries have been eager to sign up.
Vietnam has
quietly sided with the US on the issue, shunning the Chinese firm in favour of
alternative providers for 5G technology, including Ericsson and Nokia.
The
country's military-owned telecoms giant Viettel hopes to be the first to roll
out 5G in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and has said it plans to to do so without
Huawei, citing security concerns.
Zhou
reiterated past statements by the company brushing aside the US claims.
"There
is not any cybersecurity issues for us. There is no evidence for the US to say
that," he said.
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