According to media reports, Japan also no longer wants to accept products from Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE for reasons of cyber security in public tenders.
The government will change the corresponding internal tender rules from Monday, reported on Friday the newspaper „Yomiuri Shimbun“ and the news agency Jiji Press. Also, Japanese products with parts of Huawei and ZTE should therefore no longer be considered in public tenders.
However, the government will not name the two Chinese companies directly by name, Yomiuri wrote. She does not want to upset China with that. Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga did not comment on the reports, but said Japan is working closely with the US on cybersecurity.
China expressed „serious concern“ over the reports. Huawei and ZTE have been doing legal business in Japan for years, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. Japan must offer Chinese companies the same conditions as their own and refrain from anything that undermines „mutual trust and cooperation“.
Huawei and ZTE from China are among the world’s leading network suppliers. Companies are suspected of helping the government to spy on other countries.
In Canada, the chief financial officer of Huawei was arrested this weekend, according to media reports, at the instigation of the United States. Meng Wanzhou is therefore accused of violating US sanctions against Iran. She should be heard on Friday. The arrest caused a sharp protest in China. (Afp / so)
