Leaked Documents Show Huawei Secretly Built North Korea's Wireless Network - Reports

Chinese communications company Huawei secretly helped the North Korean government to build and maintain its commercial wireless network, media reports said on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2019) Chinese communications company Huawei secretly helped the North Korean government to build and maintain its commercial wireless network, media reports said on Monday.

Huawei partnered with Chinese state-owned firm Panda International Information Technology on a variety of projects in North Korea spanning at least eight years, the Washington Post reported, citing documents provided by a former Huawei employee.

The arrangement between Huawei and Panda International made it difficult to recognize Huawei's involvement, the report said.

Huawei, which has used US technology in its products, may have violated US export regulations by deploying its equipment in North Korea, according to the report.

The US Commerce Department, which did not comment on the report, has been investigating alleged links between Huawei and North Korea since 2016.

Huawei told the Washington Post in a statement that it "has no business presence" in North Korea.

But a company spokesman did not address whether Huawai conducted business there in the past.

While Huawei has said that it seeks to participate in the development of cutting-edge 5G networks abroad, the United States and a number of countries have pointed to the company CEO's ties to the Chinese government and alleged that Beijing could use Huawei's equipment to spy on users abroad.

The US government, which has also prohibited the use of Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE's equipment, has called on its allies to exclude Huawei from developing 5G networks. Australia and New Zealand have already banned Huawei from taking part in Huawei's 5G projects.

Huawei has rejected the allegations and the tech giant has said the restrictions could affect the company's ability to provide services to clients in more than 170 countries across the globe.