US lawmaker introduces bill that prevents intelligence sharing with countries that use Huawei

The United States has led a global campaign against the company, saying it could spy on customers for Beijing, and last year placed it on a trade blacklist, citing national security concerns.

The United States has led a global campaign against the company, saying it could spy on customers for Beijing, and last year placed it on a trade blacklist, citing national security concerns. (REUTERS)

US Senator Tom Cotton on Wednesday introduced a bill that would prevent the United States from sharing intelligence with countries that allow Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies to operate 5G network technology within their borders, according to a copy of the bill seen by Reuters.

The United States has led a global campaign against the company, saying it could spy on customers for Beijing, and last year placed it on a trade blacklist, citing national security concerns. Huawei denies the allegations.

The bill's unveiling comes just days before the United Kingdom is slated to decide whether to upgrade its telecoms network with Huawei equipment.

Cotton, a vocal critic of Huawei, proposed a little-noticed provision in a defense bill signed into law last month that directs intelligence agencies to consider the use of telecoms and cybersecurity infrastructure "provided by adversaries of the United States, particularly China and Russia," when entering intelligence-sharing agreements with foreign countries.