US official says Huawei 5G in Canada would hamper intelligence sharing

The United States urged Canada, on November 23, not to use Huawei 5G technology citing security threats and said that it would jeopardise intelligence sharing between the two countries. Robert C O’Brien, the National Security Advisor to the US President Donald Trump, talking to the reporters at a security conference in Halifax, called the company “Trojan Horse”.

Accuses China of profiling

O’Brien said that letting the company in Canada or other western countries will help China profile everything including health record, banking record, and social media post. He further added that China will get to know everything about every single Canadian. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had postponed the decision on Huawei 5G till general elections but has not commented on it after coming back to power.

Read: Huawei To Give $285 MN Bonus To Employees For Coping With US Sanctions

Canada treads cautiously

Canada’s Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, also present at the Halifax Forum, gave a vague reply regarding the issue and said that they will make sure 5G systems are as strong as their current 4G technology. According to him, the Canadian government will take its time to ‘appropriately examine all potential threats’. "The US is Canada's strongest friend and ally. Hosting the bi-partisan Congressional delegation in Halifax helps us to work on growing defence cooperation; whether in cyber-security, protecting the Arctic or investing in our military capabilities," Sajjan tweeted.

Read: Huawei Founder Says United States Woes Not Hardest Crisis

Huawei controversy

Last week, the US Attorney General William Barr called Huawei Technologies Co as a security threat and supported the proposal to protect the US rural wireless carriers. In a letter to the  Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Barr said it is not easy to trust the company considering its previous track records. The FCC decided to cut off government funding for equipment from Huawei, along with ZTE which was accused of the same. Following the decision, Huawei, in a statement, said that it will have 'profound negative effects on connectivity for Americans in rural and underserved areas across the United States.'

Read: US Grants 90-day Extension To Businesses To Work With Huawei

Read: Chinese Firms Huawei And ZTE Are Security Threats & Cannot Be Trusted', Says William Barr

(With Inputs from Agencies)