Hong Kong’s Nathan Law Advises the West to Abandon Chinese Technology Ties

ROME, KOMPAS.com – Hong Kong's pro-democracy activist Nathan Law is warning the West to be cautious of forging Chinese technology ties.

According to the Hong Kong citizen, Chinese businesses like Huawei Technologies Co pose a threat to the West.

His statement came during a visit to Italy on Tuesday, shortly before the Italian Foreign Minister was scheduled to meet China’s top diplomat.

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Nathan Law left his homeland last month after China imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong that has been heavily criticized by the West.

The former legislator spoke to reporters in Rome before Italy’s Luigi Di Maio met with Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi to discuss the roll out of new generation 5G technology in Italy.

Italy has not joined the United States in imposing restrictions on Huawei but the company was excluded from a recent Telecom Italia tender to supply technology for a 5G network in Italy and Brazil.

Law urged Western governments to be highly cautious in their dealings with Beijing.

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"The most powerful authoritarian regime in the world is posing a threat to democracies, including using measures of infiltration, including using the influence of their state enterprises like Huawei," he said.

"If infrastructure like telecommunications, harbors or even the nuclear industry are controlled or are owned by Chinese companies then it will impose serious danger to the country."

Huawei has denied allegations by the United States that it is a Trojan Horse for Chinese cyberspies and Beijing has criticized countries such as Britain and Australia, which have said they will shun the Chinese technology giant.

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Di Maio and Wang were due to give a news conference at the end of their talks. Law called on Italy not to ignore what had happened in Hong Kong.

"My arrival and the message I'm bringing here is very clear: We need to address the human rights violations to China even if we're engaged with them and we have to be very aware of the infiltration and their authoritarian expansionist nature."

(Writer: Crispian Balmer | Editor: William Maclean)

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/hongkong-italy-nathan-law/hong-kong-activist-warns-west-to-shun-chinese-technology-ties-idUSL8N2FR3MR