According to French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron , technology company Huawei will not be excluded from the development of the 5G network in the country, but priority will be given to other European companies .
The French leader's announcement came after a meeting he had with ChineseForeign Wang Yi in Paris on Friday.
Macron, having already contacted the President of China, Xi Jinping, expressed his preference for companies like Ericsson and Nokia, telling him: "you would do the same to me."
As Macron told reporters, “it is normal that we… want a European solution” because of the importance to us of “the security of our communication.”.
France’s information security agency ANSSI said last month that Huawei Technologies Ltd. would not be banned from France, but French telecoms providers that buy its technology would only be able to obtain licenses for eight years. The French government has said it will restrict Huawei ’s 5G technology , aiming to protect military bases, nuclear facilities and other sensitive sites.
Huawei has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with the US over both competition and security concerns. US officials say Huawei poses a security risk, a claim the company denies. The US, for its part, has been pressuring Europeans and other allies to shun its technology as they upgrade to their next-generation networks.
On the other hand, China is trying to encourage Europeans to allow Chinese telecommunications and technology companies access to their markets.
