China accuses US of driving Chinese technology away from Latin America

O spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lin Jian classified, in a press conference, the American warnings as “flagging technological intimidation” and stated that they “make facts and distort reality”.

Lin urged Washington to “stop interfering with the right of sovereign countries to independently choose cooperation partners” and to put an end to what he described as “political manipulation”.

The statements appeared in response to a message released last week by Juan Pablo Segura, who was in charge of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the U.S. State Department, in which he pointed out companies such as Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Hytera, Dahua and DJI.

It is clear that Chinese legislation obliges these suppliers to cooperate with Beijing information services and warned that their technologies pose risks of espionage, cyberattacks and network disruptions, claims rejected by China.

The U.S. official also urged Washington’s partners in the Americas to “move quickly” to trusted suppliers in order to protect citizens and sovereignty, in a message later reproduced by diplomatic representations of the United States in the region.

Lin argued that Chinese technology companies comply with the laws and regulations of the countries where they operate and stated that their services have contributed to economic development and job creation in Latin American markets.

The spokesman also accused the United States of having carried out surveillance and cyberattacks in Latin America and the Caribbean for years, without presenting evidence during the press conference supporting the prosecution.

The dispute has already motivated, during the weekend, a response from the Chinese Embassy in the Dominican Republic, after the US diplomatic representation in the country has released the Insecure warnings about Chinese companies.