Germany to consult US over Huawei security fears, says Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday Berlin would consult Washington over using technology made by China’s Huawei in future mobile phone networks, following reports of US threats to reduce intelligence cooperation.

“We will define our standards for ourselves,” Merkel told reporters at a Berlin press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.

However, “we will of course discuss these questions with our partners in Europe as well as the relevant authorities in the United States,” she added.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that US ambassador Richard Grenell had warned that Washington could scale back intelligence and other information exchanges with Berlin if Huawei technology was built into Germany’s 5G telecoms infrastructure.