Hong Kong activist warns on Chinese tech ties, calls China a threat to democracies around the world

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law on Tuesday said that Chinese businesses like Huawei Technologies Co pose a threat to the West.

Also read | Hong Kong police arrests two pro-democracy lawmakers over 2019 protests

Law, a former legislator, left Hong Kong last month after China imposed a new national security law on the territory that has been heavily criticised by the West.

“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, harbours or even the nuclear industry are controlled or are owned by Chinese companies then it will impose danger to the country.”

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 rollout 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.
 
 Meanwhile, Police have arrested two Hong Kong opposition lawmakers concerning anti-government protests in July last year, one of whom was suspected of rioting, the Democratic Party said on Wednesday.

Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui were detained after early-morning raids on their homes, according to their political party and the police.

(With inputs from agencies)