Telecom equipment giant 'open to cooperation to boost cybersecurity'

China's telecoms and computer network giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd supports the British government review of its security center in England, the company said on Friday.

"Huawei shares the same goal as the UK government and the Intelligence and Security Committee in raising the standards of cybersecurity in the UK and ensuring that network technology benefits UK consumers," Huawei said in a statement.

"Huawei is open to new ideas and ways of working to improve cybersecurity," it added.

The company made the statement after the British government confirmed on Thursday it is to review Huawei's involvement in a cybersecurity center known as the Cell in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

The review will be conducted by Prime Minister David Cameron's National Security Adviser Kim Darroch, who is due to report back later this year.

Huawei, based in Shenzhen of South China's Guangdong province, signed a multi-billion pound deal in 2005 to supply BT Group Plc, Britain's largest telecoms operator, as part of upgrades to a network.

The Chinese company launched a security center in 2010 to test its new hardware and software for security risks before being linked to Britain's critical infrastructure.

But in June, the British parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee issued a critical report about the center, which was set up to examine the physical equipment and software used by Huawei and assure that it is not vulnerable to cyberattack, in which it urged the government to review security at the base.

Huawei stressed the fact that the British government responded to the report, saying: "Our work with Huawei and their UK customers gives us confidence that the networks in the UK that use Huawei equipment are operated to a high standard of security and integrity."

Yao Shujie, head of the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham, told China Daily: "For Huawei, which is internationalizing, similar reviews or research in some foreign countries are inevitable. But with its ambitions for the future, Huawei has an eye on the longer term."

Huawei announced last September that it would invest and create more jobs in the UK as part of its overall expansion plan in Europe.

Huawei employs 800 people in the UK and plans to increase that to 1,500 over the next five years as part of a 1.3 billion pound ($1.98 billion) investment and procurement program in Britain.

"Huawei has been active in the UK. As long as the British review confirms Huawei's security and strength, it will promote the company's image," Yao added.

In October 2012, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Intelligence urged American firms to stop doing business with Huawei and ZTE Corp, warning that China could use equipment to spy on certain communications and threaten vital systems.

Contact the writers at zhangchunyan@chinadaily.com.cn and shenjingting@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/20/2013 page9)