White House hails British ban on China's Huawei

WASHINGTON: The United States hailed Britain's decision Tuesday to order the phased removal of China's Huawei telecoms giant from its 5G network, following months of pressure from Washington.

The British ban, which came despite warnings of retaliation by Beijing, handed US President Donald Trump a victory.

"The reported #UK action reflects a growing international consensus that #Huawei and other untrusted vendors pose a threat to national security, as they remain beholden to the Chinese Communist Party," White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Twitter.

"We look forward to working with the UK, as well as our many other partners and allies, to spur innovation, promote vendor diversity in the #5G supply chain, and ensure 5G security free from dangerous manipulations."

Amid rising tensions with China, Trump has pushed allies to ban Huawei from their telecommunications networks on the grounds that it poses a national security risk.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially resisted, allowing Huawei to roll out a new high-speed network in Britain in January.

But US sanctions in May blocking Huawei's access to US chips for the 5G networks brought a change of heart in London.