The U.S. government has apparently warned other countries not to use equipment from Huawei

The U.S. government is contacting key allies to get them to persuade telecommunications companies in their countries to avoid using equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies Co., the Wall Street Journal reported.

The publication cites people familiar with the matter as saying officials from the U.S. have been in contact with those from Germany, Italy, Japan, and others about the issue.

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Apparently, the latest warnings come due to U.S. concerns over the use of equipment from China in countries with U.S. military bases. The U.S. government is willing to provide money for the development of telecommunications infrastructure in countries that shun Huawei, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This is the latest in a line of recent warnings from the U.S. about using Huawei equipment and phones. Despite being the second largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, the company does not have a significant presence in the U.S.

The company has also faced scrutiny in the U.K and Australia, with Australia going as far as to ban the use of Huawei equipment in its 5G networks.

The warnings about Huawei relate to the company’s alleged links to the Chinese government. The company was founded by Ren Zhengfei, a former officer in the People’s Liberation Army.

Recently, FBI head Christopher Wray explained that giving companies with links to other governments positions of power inside telecommunications networks could allow them to conduct “undetected espionage.”

However, Huawei has maintained that it poses no more risk than any other ICT vendor.