France won’t ban Huawei but favors European 5G systems

French President Emmanuel Macron says France is not excluding Chinese telecom giant Huawei from its upcoming 5G telecommunication networks but favors European providers for security reasons.

The French leader spoke after meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Paris on Friday.

Macron said he had already told Chinese President Xi Jinping about his preference for companies such as Ericsson and Nokia, saying “you would do the same as me.”

“It’s normal that … we want a European solution” because of the importance of “the security of our communication,” Macron told reporters.