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Prague Warns That Huawei, ZTE Products Pose Threat to Czech National Security

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB) sees the products of China’s Huawei telecom giant and ZTE corporation as a threat to the republic's national security, NUKIB Director Dusan Navratil said on Monday.
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"We are making this announcement based on our investigation and an information provided by our partners in the security area, as well as the results received by our allies," Navratil told reporters.

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According to Navratil, the NUKIB statement follows a report published by the Czech intelligence agency last week, which mentioned the increased activity of the Chinese intelligence services in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Interior Ministry said it had discussed the NUKIB statement and was awaiting further recommendations from the agency.

The representative of Huawei in the Czech Republic, Magda Teresa Partyka, refuted NUKIB's allegations that the products of her company allegedly posed a threat to the security of the republic.

"In the 30-year history of our company, it has never been revealed that Huawei has committed any wrongdoings in the field of cybersecurity. And thanks to this, we have become a reliable partner for all major telecommunications firms in the Czech Republic," Partyka said.

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According to Partyka, there are no laws or orders in China that would force Huawei or any other company to be required to build so-called back doors into their products. "Huawei has never received such requirements from the government or from any other government department, and our company would have never agreed to this," she added.

Huawei is the largest telecom infrastructure supplier in the Czech Republic for local mobile operators. The company's revenue in the country amounted to 6.55 billion Czech crowns (about $300 million) in 2017. Until 2022, Huawei plans to invest about $360 million in the Czech Republic and create a total of more than 4,000 new jobs.

The United States and several other countries have also raised security questions with regard to the Chinese telecommunications giant.

READ MORE: Researcher Warns US to Hit More Chinese Companies After Huawei Case

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