Malaysia\u2019s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad praised Huawei Technologies Co, snubbing the Trump administration\u2019s global campaign against the Chinese network gear maker.<\/p>\n
The Southeast Asian country will use Huawei\u2019s gear \u201cas much as possible\u201d as they offer \u201ctremendous advance over American technology,\u201d Mahathir, 93, said at a forum in Tokyo on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The US has blacklisted Huawei, saying its equipment poses a security threat and could facilitate spying by the China\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
Mahathir\u2019s public comments add to signs US efforts to win allies against Huawei are flopping in some countries that are prioritizing development of 5G wireless networks, a specialty of China\u2019s biggest technology company.<\/p>\n
While complicating a trade war between Washington and Beijing, the US blacklisting of Huawei has also pressured telecom operators around the world to decide whether to shun the company.<\/p>\n
This week, Singapore-based mobile phone carrier M1 Ltd said it\u2019s open to more dealings with Huawei, while flagging that there will be alternative providers as well for 5G infrastructure. A day later, Japan-based SoftBank Corp selected Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB as vendors for its next-generation wireless network, excluding long-time supplier Huawei.<\/p>\n
Axiata Group Bhd., Malaysia\u2019s biggest wireless carrier, said it is still working with Huawei on network technology, while it hasn\u2019t decided on partners for introducing 5G services, the Star newspaper reported Thursday, citing comments by the carrier\u2019s Chief Executive Officer Jamaludin Ibrahim.<\/p>\n
Mahathir has praised Huawei before. He visited the company\u2019s Beijing office in late April.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found that Huawei is very advanced\u201d in the use of artificial intelligence, he said at the time. \u201cWe see there is an opportunity for us, together with Huawei, to improve our capacity in the fields of communication and AI.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside Asia, the UK\u2019s BT Group Plc announced plans to remove Huawei gear from the core of its mobile network soon after the head of Britain\u2019s foreign intelligence agency MI6 said the UK warned about the risks of using Chinese equipment.<\/p>\n