Huawei seeks meeting with New Zealand government after 5G bid rejected on national security grounds

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Huawei Technologies Co Ltd said it was seeking clarification from New Zealand after the country’s intelligence agency rejected the telecommunication industry’s first request to use the Chinese firm’s equipment in its planned 5G mobile network.

“Huawei is seeking an urgent meeting with the relevant ministers and officials to understand the government’s position and get clarification of the process from here,” Huawei’s New Zealand deputy managing director Andrew Bowater said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

He added that Huawei had not been presented by New Zealand with any evidence of wrongdoing and that it rejected the notion it threatened local businesses “in any way”.