BUCHAREST -- The U.S. ambassador to Bucharest has accused Huawei and the Chinese Embassy of continuing “to try to mislead the people of Romania” while accusing some Romanian press outlets of publishing Chinese propaganda.
The U.S. administration is pressing its allies to block Huawei from wireless, high-speed networks, saying the company’s equipment could be used by China for spying purposes. The allegation has been denied by Huawei and Beijing.
“We can build a secure Clean Network 5G infrastructure today to shape tomorrow’s digital world. However, Huawei and the Communist Chinese want to make Romania the surveillance state of 30 years ago -- just like it is in Communist China,” U.S. Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman said in an opinion piece published on September 10.
Last year, Romania and the U.S. signed a joint statement in Washington that suggested Huawei could be excluded from Romania’s future 5G network.
The document, which does not mention Huawei by name, says the two countries "seek to avoid the security risks that accompany Chinese investment in 5G telecommunications networks."
Huawei, which has been present in the Romanian market since 2003, has said that it meets all the requirements listed in the draft regulations for the participation of technology companies in developing the 5G infrastructure in Romania.