UK's GCHQ spy chief says no threat to Five Eyes alliance over Huawei's 5G network

The head of the UK's GCHQ spy agency has denied any threat to intelligence-sharing ties between Britain and its allies after disagreements over China's Huawei Technologies.

The British government had decided to limit Huawei's 5G network in January, defying calls to ban the company over security concerns and America called for a ban to cut off valuable intelligence feeds with countries that use the Chinese firm's equipment.

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According to officials, Johnson has been pressurised from the Washington and lawmakers in his party and now is eyeing to phase out the network by 2023.

During an interview recorded on May 18, GCHQ Director Jeremy Fleming said that he does not see Huawei as a threat to the "Five Eyes" security alliance which consists of UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

"Five Eyes isn't an organisation, it's a partnership, it's an alliance. It is, of course, the case that whilst we share basic principles ...there are areas where, from time to time, our approaches differ," he said.

"Those are not fundamentally undermining the alliance. Indeed, I think it's the power of the alliance that, where we do differ, we can both understand why we're making those decisions, but also make sure that we continue to cooperate across the broader piece."

China and the United Kingdom's relations have been strained after their stand on Hong Kong and the coronavirus pandemic.

"We see China as an intelligence adversary, we see them as an economic partner, we work with them in some areas, we compete with them in others," said Fleming.

"And in still others, we call out their behaviours when we don't think they align with what we expect to see or with our values," he added.

(Inputs from Reuters)