Huawei Willing to Sign "No-Spy" Agreements

I’ll say this much for Huawei – they kinda, sorta went against the wishes of the People’s Republic.

Shortly after Germany claimed that China refused to sign a “no-spy” agreement for telecom technology, Huawei stepped to the plate and offered assurances of its own.

According to Reuters, Germany was seeking a “no-spy” agreement from Beijing – a German Interior Ministry spokesman claimed that “It would be decisive if the Chinese state were prepared to support such a thing … but we see no sign of this.”

We’ve covered the Huawei saga pretty extensively – how the Shenzhen telecom giant pulled some shady business dealings, alienating most of the free world. After Huawei allegedly offered bounties for its employees to steal other companies’ IP and the U.S. Department of Justice charged Huawei with 10 indictments for IP theft, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice, the U.S. and her allies largely refused to do any business with them.

Germany, meanwhile, has refused to commit one way or the other, remaining open to the idea of working with Huawei. But it appears they want at least some kind of assurance from prospective business partners, which China won’t grant, but Huawei apparently will.

“We are willing to sign no-spy agreements with governments, including the UK government, to commit ourselves to making our equipment meet the no-spy, no-backdoors standard,” Huawei chairman Liang Hua told reporters in London.

Let’s not make more of this than what it is – a telecom conglomerate feeling the heat on its bottom line. If Huawei could work with the free world while serving its masters in Beijing, it’d gladly do so. But even a company with close ties to the Chinese Communist government needs to turn a profit, and the free world is turning the screws.

Read more here: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-security-britain-chairman/huawei-willing-to-sign-no-spy-agreements-with-governments-chairman-idUSKCN1SK1H