Pressure mounts on Huawei after employee arrested in Poland
Polish authorities have arrested a Huawei employee on spying charges as the Chinese telecoms equipment maker faces growing international pressure over the security of its products.
The Polish offices of Huawei and telecoms provider Orange were raided by security services, local media reported.
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Police also arrested an Orange employee, reported to be a former agent in Poland's internal security agency.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it is “greatly concerned” by the arrests, urging Poland to be just.
“We are aware of the situation, and we are looking into it. We have no comment for the time being,” Huawei said.
“Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries where it operates, and we require every employee to abide by the laws and regulations in the countries where they are based,” it added.
Orange said it would cooperate with the authorities in Poland.
The news comes weeks after Canadian authorities arrested one of Huawei’s top executives on a US warrant.
Meng Wanzhou is alleged to have broken US trade sanctions against Iran.
American intelligence agencies have alleged that Huawei is installing software which would allow Chinese officials to enter people’s phones through so-called backdoors.
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The firm’s denials have not been enough to assuage fears from western governments.
Earlier this week Norway said it was considering joining the likes of New Zealand in excluding Huawei from efforts to build its 5G network.