GOP lawmakers introduce resolution denouncing UK’s Huawei decision

A group of House Republicans introduced a resolution on Monday that denounces the British government’s decision to permit Chinese telecom giant Huawei to build part of the country’s 5G network, arguing the move could pose a threat to national security.

The measure — led by House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Michael McCaul (R-Texas), House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), and Reps. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), Michael Turner (R-Ohio) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) — says that capping Huawei’s market share at 35 percent does not go far enough to ensure the network is secure, noting that there isn’t a way to isolate equipment made by Huawei, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), from other more sensitive parts of the network.

“Huawei equipment is absolute poison – providing them access to any aspect of a 5G network compromises the integrity of the entire system and will result in network data being sent back to Communist Party leaders in Beijing,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.

“Investing in Huawei technology only serves to fund the regime’s malign activity at home and across the globe- from their internment of ethnic minorities in western China to spying on and stealing from Americans,” they added.

The group went on to say the decision could strain relations between the U.S. and the U.K., calling on Britain to walk back its decision.

“Our special relationship with the UK is built on our shared commitment to freedom and security. The CCP – and by extension Huawei – is an affront to these core democratic principles,” they continued.

“We hope the UK will reverse course on this consequential decision and work with us to build a 5G future that will not only protect our mutual interests but will safeguard the values we share.”