Juncker refuses to reject Huawei 'just because it's Chinese' amid US pressure

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says he won't bar Chinese firms like Huawei from doing business with Europe, as long as they respect market rules, despite continued US pressure to ban the company.

"We are not rejecting someone because he is coming from faraway, because he is Chinese, the rules have to be respected," Juncker said at a press conference with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe on Thursday.

Asked about his response to the US call to "eliminate" Chinese telecoms equipment from Europe's 5G buildout, Juncker was defiant. "The European Union and our internal market are open markets and all those respecting our rules governing this internal market are welcome," he said.

Last month, Europe's Parliament passed a resolution "expressing their deep concern" about alleged Chinese cybersecurity threats, but a subsequent statement from the European Commission regarding 5G cybersecurity did not include such language, instead merely urging member states to develop a "toolbox of mitigating measures" to combat cybersecurity risks to their growing 5G infrastructure.

The US has leaned heavily on allies to keep Huawei and other Chinese telecoms out of their countries, claiming the company could act as a spy for the Chinese government. Washington has even threatened to withhold intelligence from Germany over their refusal to ban the Chinese firm, pressure China's foreign minister has called "abnormal" and "immoral."

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