France is considering introducing a legislative amendment to empower its security and defence watchdogs to make retroactive checks to telecoms operators’ equipment once installed, targeting China’s Huawei, Les Echos newspaper reported on Monday, without citing sources.
The amendment to a broad deregulation bill being debated by French parliament would follow moves by some Western countries to bar China’s Huawei Technologies from accessing next-generation mobile networks on national security grounds.
U.S. officials have briefed allies that the company is at the beck and call of the Chinese state, warning that its network equipment could contain so-called back doors that could open them up to cyber espionage.
Huawei says such concerns are unfounded.