Former Canadian Spy Chief Warns Again Against Huawei

The former head of Canada’s top spy agency has again flagged Huawei as a national security risk and urged Ottawa not to use the company’s equipment in its new 5G networks, despite Beijing’s warning against such action.

Richard Fadden’s latest comments in a newspaper commentary came as bilateral relations between Ottawa and Beijing are already strained, after the former arrested Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada last month for possible extradition to the U.S. on criminal charges. China subsequently detained two Canadians on suspicion of endangering national security.

Tensions further escalated last week after a Chinese court retried a Canadian who had already been convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced him to death.

While the recent tussle centers on legal violations, Huawei has also landed at the center of a separate global debate among a growing number of developed countries that say its equipment could pose national security risks due to suspected relationships between the company and Beijing. Huawei has denied any such relationships.

“If China would resort to putting Canadians to death to defend its corporate national champion, what might it do if the Chinese Communist Party had unfettered access to Canada’s vital communications networks?” wrote Fadden, who led the Canadian Security Intelligence Service from 2009 to 2013. His commentary was published in the Globe and Mail on Monday, representing his second public comments on Huawei in two months.

China has responded angrily to reports that Canada might consider banning Huawei’s 5G equipment. Last week China’s ambassador to Canada, Lu Shaye, said he believed that Canada would face “repercussions” if it prevents Canadian telecom firms from using Huawei equipment.

Fadden called on Canada to pay attention to such rhetoric.

“Indeed, far from deterring Canada from acting to protect its national security, the Chinese government’s response should stiffen Canada’s resolve,” he wrote. “The government should announce sooner, rather than later, that Huawei will be banned” from selling its 5G networking equipment in Canada, he said.

In Fadden’s first article, also published in the same Canadian newspaper in December, he advised Canada to follow in the footsteps of its American, New Zealand and Australian peers in barring Huawei from participating in the construction of the country’s 5G networks. He cited “piled up evidence” that Huawei has been spying on Beijing’s orders.

Bloomberg last week reported that Canada is still conducting its security review of 5G telecommunications technology, and a decision on whether to restrict Huawei is still at months away at least.

In response to request for comment on Fadden’s latest remarks, Huawei repeated that it abides by the laws of all countries where it does business.

But its 74-year-old founder Ren Zhengfei, a former military engineer, last week conducted rare public interviews with international and local media to rebut accusations that Huawei is spying for China by installing “back doors” in its equipment. He argued that the company firmly stands on the side of customers when it comes to cybersecurity and privacy.

Contact reporter Jason Tan (jasontan@caixin.com)