The CIA has reportedly informed Five Eyes nations that Huawei is funded by the Chinese government

Huawei has long been accused of espionage by the United States, with claims that the smartphone company is under the thumb of the Chinese government. Now, reports are emerging that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has shared critical information with its allies pertaining to where the firm’s funding comes from.

Accusations against Huawei have regularly come without public evidence, but the US has remained adamant that the company is a danger to national security. As a result, it has continuously pressured allies to oust Huawei from the west, with Australia and America implementing nation-wide bans on the firm’s 5G network and European countries still debating the issue.

Motivation from the US has remained questionable, as investigations into Huawei’s network have not revealed any type of backdoor, but have criticised the lack of “end-to-end integrity of the products” which the company is supposedly working to fix. Some speculations indicate that the US fears the rapid growth of China’s technology industry and is trying to stomp out one of its leading firms to hinder progress.

However, new information from The Times reveals that the CIA has finally divulged critical information that could sway the Five Eyes Intelligence Group, consisting of the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The report suggests that Huawei has received funding from the People’s Liberation Army, China’s National Security Commission and a third Chinese State intelligence branch, with the CIA having “awarded a strong but not iron-cast classification of certainty” to its conclusion that Huawei is a threat.

In the meantime, Huawei is being kept in check by the EU as security is bolstered but no ban has been put in place. Although Huawei refuses to “comment on unsubstantiated allegations backed up by zero evidence from anonymous sources,” it continues to chase legal action against the US government for supposedly unfair penalisation the company.

KitGuru Says: We may never know of certain information shared between the Five Eyes given the nature of the collaboration, but I have to question why some government bodies such as the UK remain unconvinced. Perhaps the US hasn’t shared sufficient evidence with its cohorts, or there truly is an ulterior motive. Hopefully this mess is cleared up sooner rather than later, as it’s gone on for quite some time.

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