Canadian telecom provider Rogers Communications Inc’s vice chairman, Philip Lind, said on May 30 that Huawei Technologies Co should be banned from Canada’s 5G network, Bloomberg reported.
While Huawei is cheaper and sophisticated compared with other alternatives, its close relationship to the Chinese government is troubling, Lind told BNN Bloomberg in a TV interview.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are expected to discuss about the dispute with China over Huawei during a meeting in Ottawa on May 30.
U.S. has accused Huawei of being tied to China’s government, and has effectively banned U.S. firms from doing business with the company for national security reasons.
The dispute, which also involves Canada, has left Ottawa expressing frustration at what it sees as a lackluster response from the United States to harsh Chinese measures.
In December 2018, Canada arrested Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wangzhou, on a U.S. warrant. Subsequently, China arrested two Canadians on charges of espionage and stopped imports of key commodities from the G-7 country.