
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to ban Huawei from Britain's 5G network in a landmark decision as the United States grapples with China's rising economic and technological clout.
The decision is likely to anger Beijing but win praise from President Donald Trump.
The United States has pushed Johnson to reverse his January decision to grant Huawei a limited role in 5G, while London isdisappointed by a crackdown in Hong Kong and by the perception that China did not tell the whole truth over coronavirus.
Britain's National Security Council (NSC), chaired by Johnson, will meet on Tuesday to discuss Huawei. Media Secretary Oliver Dowden will announce a decision to the House of Commons later in the day.
The immediate excuse to reverse theBritish policy is the impact of new US sanctions on chip technology, which London says affects Huawei's ability to remain a reliable supplier in the future.
It is unclear how far Johnson will go on Tuesday. Operators already had to cap Huawei's role in 5G at 35% by 2023. Reducing it to zero over an additional two to fours years is now being discussed, although some telecoms firms have warned that going too fast could delay key technology and disrupt services.
The United States says Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecoms equipment, is an agent of the Chinese Communist State and cannot be trusted.
Huawei denies it spies for China and has said the United States wants to frustrate its growth because no U.S. company could offer the same range of technology at a competitive price.
(With inputs from Reuters)