US warns European allies not to use Chinese gear for 5G networks

BRUSSELS, Feb 06 (Reuters): The United States (US) sees the European Union (EU) as its top priority in a global effort to convince allies not to buy Huawei equipment for next-generation mobile networks, a US State Department Official said on Tuesday.

After meetings with the European Commission and the Belgian government in Brussels, US officials are set to take a message to other European capitals that the world's biggest telecommunications gear maker poses a security risk, said the official, who declined to be named.

"We are saying you need to be very, very cautious and we are urging folks not to rush ahead and sign contracts with untrusted suppliers from countries like China," the official said.

The United States fears China could use the equipment for espionage - a concern that Huawei Technologies Co. says is unfounded. The push to sideline Huawei in Europe, one of its biggest markets, is likely to deepen trade frictions between Washington and Beijing.

Washington is using "multiple tracks", the US official said, including talks at the US-led NATO alliance in Brussels and at international conferences in Barcelona and Munich: "Europe is definitely where we see this as the top priority."

Huawei gear is widely used in Europe but the push is aimed at equipment for the new fifth generation mobile technology, which promises to link up everything from vehicles to factories at far greater speeds.

While Washington has largely barred Huawei from supplying its government and contractors, it sees advanced European preparations for 5G networks as a security risk that could also endanger the United States.