The US ambassador to Brasilia warned of "consequences" if Brazil chooses Chinese telecommunications company Huawei to develop its 5G network, in an interview published on Wednesday.
"I would not say there would be retaliation, but there would be consequences" if Brazil goes against the advice of the United States and elects the Chinese firm, Ambassador Todd Chapman told the Globo newspaper.
Brazil will launch a tender next year for the project to develop the next generation of telecommunications technology in the most populous country in Latin America, where 212 million people live.
The United States has been actively lobbying countries around the world to boycott Huawei, arguing that the company could allow the Chinese government to spy on its data.
"At any time, the Chinese government could ask Huawei to send it information," Chapman said.
"There is no purely American company operating. I am not saying this to make a billion dollars. It is a matter of national security."
Other companies that have shown interest in Brazil's 5G tender include Sweden's Ericsson and Finland's Nokia.
Chapman also warned that Brazil could scare off foreign investment by hiring a company that the United States says violates intellectual property rights and receives unfair state support that puts its competitors at a disadvantage.
"The United States' position is to alert our allies and friends, like Brazil, to know who they are working with," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment