EU Temporarily Bans Huawei Lobbyists Amid Corruption Probe
The ban followed arrests during a police investigation into alleged bribery that is said to have benefited Huawei.
The European Parliament and the European Commission on Friday barred lobbyists for Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei from EU premises amid a police investigation into alleged corruption by the company.
In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times on Friday, a spokesperson for the Parliament said it was suspending “the access to Parliament of representatives attached to the Huawei company with immediate effect” as a precautionary measure.
A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed to The Epoch Times that the commissioners’ cabinets and director-generals were instructed on Friday to “immediately suspend contacts and meetings with HUAWEI until further notice.”
The suspension of Huawei representatives’ access to the EU headquarters is a temporary measure while the investigation is ongoing.
Belgium’s Public Prosecutor’s Office said Thursday several people were arrested over “their alleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as for forgery and use of forgeries.”
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Prosecutors alleged that a “criminal organisation” has committed bribery regularly since 2021.
They did not identify the individuals arrested, but said the “alleged bribery is said to have benefited Huawei.”
The prosecutors also said they were looking for evidence of money laundering.
Huawei has not responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, the company said, “Huawei has a zero tolerance policy towards corruption or other wrongdoing, and we are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times.”
Speaking from Beijing at a press briefing, the Chinese regime’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the regime requires Chinese companies to follow the law in host countries.
According to the register, after the United States banned government departments from buying Huawei equipment over national security concerns, representatives of the company held a total of 31 meetings with EU commissioners, their cabinet members, or director-generals between 2019 and 2021.
The number dropped to six in between 2022 and 2024, but representatives met more with members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
Following pressure from the United States to ban Huawei over fears that its equipment could be used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for spying, the European Commission published guidance on 5G networks in January 2020, recommending member states to assess the risk profile of vendors and to exclude high-risk suppliers for the core infrastructure.
In 2023, the commission said it considered that China’s Huawei and ZTE “represent in fact materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers.”
By August 2024, 11 of the EU’s 27 member states had passed laws to impose restrictions on high-risk suppliers such as China’s Huawei and ZTE.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Thomas Regnier, spokesperson for the European Commission, said the commission urges all member states to “take action” to restrict or exclude high-risk suppliers “because a lack of swift action would expose the EU as a whole to a clear risk.”
Huawei has repeatedly denied that it helps facilitate CCP espionage.
However, under China’s National Intelligence Act, individuals and organizations in China must turn over information to the regime upon request.
Guy Birchall and Reuters contributed to this report.
