LONDON: Britain publicly chastised China’s Huawei Technologies for failing to fix long-standing security flaws in its mobile network equipment and revealed new “significant technical issues,” increasing pressure on the company as it battles Western allegations that Beijing could use its gear for spying.
In a report published on Thursday, the government-led board that oversees vetting of Huawei gear in Britain said continued problems with the company’s software development had brought “significantly increased risk to UK operators.”
The board – which includes officials from Britain’s GCHQ communications intelligence agency – said in the report that the company had made “no material progress” addressing security flaws and it didn’t have confidence in Huawei’s capacity to deliver on proposed measures to address “underlying defects.”
The unusually direct criticism is a fresh blow to the world’s largest maker of mobile network equipment, which has been under intense scrutiny in recent months.
Officials in the United States and elsewhere have been increasingly public in voicing their concerns that Huawei’s equipment could be used by Beijing for spying or sabotage, particularly as operators move to the next generation of mobile networks, known as 5G.
Shenzhen-based Huawei said in a statement said it takes the oversight board’s concerns “very seriously” and that the issues identified in the report “provide vital input for the ongoing transformation of our software engineering capabilities.”
Britain rebukes Huawei over security failings, discloses more flaws
Britain rebukes Huawei over security failings, discloses more flaws
- Officials in the US and elsewhere have been increasingly public in voicing their concerns that Huawei’s equipment
Maersk to resume Suez Canal sailings for MECL service
- Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor more than two years after they started rerouting vessels around Africa following Yemeni Houthi rebels’ attacks
OSLO: Shipping group Maersk will resume sailings via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal for its MECL service, connecting the Middle East and India with the US east coast, the Danish company said on Thursday.
“Maersk has decided to implement a structural return to the trans-Suez route for all MECL service sailings,” the company said in a statement, adding that this was part of a stepwise approach for its fleet.
Shipping companies are weighing a return to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor more than two years after they started rerouting vessels around Africa following Yemeni Houthi rebels’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea in what they said was a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Maersk on Monday said one of its vessels had tested the route as a ceasefire in Gaza raised hopes for normal shipping traffic.
The change for the MECL service comes into effect with a sailing departing Oman’s port of Salalah on January 26.
The Suez Canal is the fastest route linking Europe and Asia and, until the Houthi attacks, had accounted for about 10 percent of global seaborne trade, according to Clarksons Research.
The ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, in place since October last year, has renewed hope of normalizing Red Sea traffic.
The ceasefire has ended major combat in Gaza over the past three months, but both sides have accused the other of regular violations. More than 440 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the truce took effect.
