Huawei exec rebuffs MP's concerns over UK security

Vendor's letter assures parliamentary committee that it is not collecting and sharing UK data with China

Huawei has addressed concerns put to it by MP Norman Lamb about threats its products and services pose to UK national security.

Last month Lamb, chairman of the Science and Technology Select Committee, wrote to Ryan Ding, president of Hauwei's carrier business group, highlighting concerns it had about the level of security in the vendor's national comms infrastructure.

Chinese manufacturer Huawei has been mired in controversy in recent months, with countries including New Zealand, Australia, and the US prohibiting its equipment from being used by local networks in their 5G offerings.

In recent days, Reuters has reported that both the German and Italian governments are considering banning the use of Huawei kit in rolling out 5G.

Last week, the oversight board of the Huawei cybersecurity evaluation Centre (HCSEC) - a collaborative effort between Huawei, the UK government and UK operators - ruled that it can give only "limited assurance that all risks to UK national security from Huawei's involvement in the UK's critical networks have been sufficiently mitigated."

Lamb sought reassurance that the vendor's products and services pose no threat to the UK's national security, as well as responses to the HCSEC's findings and the actions taken by foreign governments against Huawei.

He also queried whether the company is gathering data on behalf of the Chinese government.

In Ding's reply he assured the MP that Huawei is not a threat to national security.

The exec stated that the vendor's track record in security speaks for itself. He also claimed that accusations by foreign governments are unsubstantiated.

"Our solid track record in security is evident: our equipment continues to run stably, and we have experienced no serious security incidents," he wrote.

"The governments in some countries have labelled Huawei as a security threat, but they have never substantiated these allegations with solid evidence. For us, the lasting support and trust of our customers worldwide speaks volumes."

Ding rebuked Lamb's concerns about the actions of foreign governments in prohibiting its kit being used in 5G services, stating that some of these suggestions have been "exaggerated or even misinterpreted" by the media.

"We believe that excluding a certain country or vendor does nothing to help effectively manage cybersecurity," he stated.

"On the contrary, it only serves to create a false sense of security. If banning Huawei from networks would rid the world of cybersecurity issues, we would certainly be willing to make that sacrifice, but that is not the case."

Ding used the HCSEC evaluation to state that the tech giant will invest $2bn (£1.5bn) over the next five years to update its software engineering capabilities.

"It is true that Huawei's software engineering team has room for improvement," he wrote.

"Huawei is the only major telecom equipment vendor in the world that has voluntarily embraced such high-level scrutiny from governments around the world.

"We believe that policy makers should encourage equipment vendors to collaborate with regulators in a more open and transparent way."

The Huawei exec finishes his letter by emphasising that the company hasn't, and never would, use UK-based hardware or software to gather intelligence on behalf of the Chinese government.

He says the company is far too large and subject to so many global regulations that any nefarious actions would not go unobserved.

"Were Huawei ever to engage in malicious behaviour, it would not go unnoticed - and it would certainly destroy our business," he said.

For us, it is a matter of security or nothing; there is no third option. We choose to ensure security."