Huawei to U.S.: 'Put up or shut up'
Chinese telecom equipment maker lashes out against what it says is discriminatory and defamatory treatment by the U.S. and U.K. governments.
Responding to the latest round of allegations by the U.S. and U.K. governments, China-based telecom gear maker Huawei has fought back in a tougher tone and demanded an end to the accusations.
William Plummer, the company's vice president of external affairs, demanded the two governments "shut up" if they are unable to produce any concrete evidence to back up ongoing claims that Huawei is spying on behalf of the Chinese government, according to a Sina news report Friday. He called the allegations discriminatory and defamatory.
Plummer was referring to a fresh round of comments from former CIA head Michael Hayden, alleging Huawei provided information to the Chinese government. In an interview with the Australian Financial Review newspaper published Thursday, Hayden said the telecom equipment maker shared "intimate and extensive knowledge" of foreign telecommunications systems it was involved with, according to a transcript on Bloomberg.
Huawei's global cybersecurity officer, John Suffolk, said in a statement to Reuters: "Huawei meets the communication needs of more than a third of the planet, and our customers have the right to know what these unsubstantiated concerns are."
"It's time to put up or shut up," Suffolk said.
Read more of "Huawei fed up, tells US-UK 'shut up'" at ZDNet.