The United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) released on Sunday an emergency review which would phase out Chinese telecom giant Huawei in the country’s 5G networks development by 2023, the Guardian reported, in a bid to reduce economic dependence on China for essential goods.
This marks a retreat from Downing Street’s previous position. Earlier in January, the administration allowed Huawei to play a role in the nation’s telecom infrastructure, while capping the electronics maker’s market share to 35% and banning its access to “sensitive core” parts of the network.
The NCSC’s involvement comes after the US brought in stricter sanctions on Huawei, citing national security concerns. “Following the US announcement of additional sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC is looking carefully at any impact they could have to the UK’s networks,” the Guardian wrote, citing a government spokesman.
In May, the US issued new restrictions, banning Huawei from using US software and hardware in certain strategic semiconductor processes.
This article is part of KrASIA’s “China Brief” section, where KrASIA’s reporters will provide quick daily updates about the tech ecosystem in China.