Huawei has condemned reported remarks from the former head of US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency, Michael Hayden, who reportedly claimed that US intelligence agencies possessed hard evidence that the Chinese telecommunications company had spied on behalf of the Chinese state.
In an e-mailed statement, Huawei Global Cyber Security Officer, John Suffolk, said Huawei challenges organisations and individuals making these accusations to present evidence publicly.
“If they will not publish [evidence] they should be taken for what they are, a distraction.,” he said in the statement.
He added, "these tired, unsubstantiated defamatory remarks are sad distractions from real-world concerns related to espionage – industrial and otherwise – that demand serious discussion globally.”
A report in the Australian Financial Review quoted Hayden as saying that in his “professional judgement”, Huawei supplied sensitive intelligence to Chinese officials.
Suffolk also noted that Huawei meets the communication needs of “more than a third of the planet” and its customers have the right to know what these unsubstantiated concerns are.
“It’s time to put up or shut up,” he said.
