Brazilian carriers are rejecting an invitation to meet with a US official who has been pushing for Brazil to exclude Huawei.
The US has been working to alienate Huawei and blunt its worldwide business over security and privacy concerns. In particular, the company has been accused of being an extension of Beijing’s spying apparatus. While all Chinese companies are required to work with the ruling Communist party, Huawei is seen as having closer ties than the average company, both with the government and intelligence community.
As a result, the US has banned Huawei and pressured allies to do the same. Many, including the UK, Australia and New Zealand have followed suit. It appears Brazil, however, has not been swayed by US arguments and will not exclude Huawei.
An invitation went out to the four major Brazilian telecom companies to meet with Keith Krach, U.S. under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, according to CNBC.
“This invitation is not compatible with free-market choices that we are used to. We should be able to freely make our best financial decisions,” CNBC’s source said.