Exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law holds a placard outside the Italian Foreign Ministry, ahead of a meeting between Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Rome, Italy, on Aug. 25, 2020. (Yara Nard/ Reuters)
ROME—Chinese businesses like Huawei Technologies pose a threat to the West, Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law said on a visit to Italy on Tuesday, shortly before the Italian foreign minister was due to meet Chinas top diplomat.
Law, a former legislator, left Hong Kong last month after China imposed a new national security law on the territory that has been heavily criticized by the West.
Law spoke to reporters in Rome shortly before Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio was due to meet Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi, with the pair expected to discuss the roll out of new generation 5G technology in Italy.
Italy has not joined the United States in imposing restrictions on Huawei but the company was excluded from a recent Telecom Italia tender to supply technology for a 5G network in Italy and Brazil.
Law urged Western governments to be highly cautious in their dealings with Beijing.
“The most powerful authoritarian regime in the world is posing a threat to democracies, including using measures of infiltration, including using the influence of their state enterprises like Huawei,” he said.
“If infrastructure like telecommunications, harbors, or even the nuclear industry are controlled or are owned by Chinese companies then it will impose serious danger Read More – Source
