Chinese MI6 informant warned UK's intelligence agency about Huawei's intentions
India Today
Britan's security intelligence watchdog has thanked an MI6 informant, currently serving a life sentence in prison, for his information on Huawei's background and intentions in the country.
The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of Parliament, which overlooks the UK's security intelligence, has thanked a Chinese informant for disclosing Huawei's intentions for the country. In a letter to the informant, the committee also mentioned that the findings of an ongoing investigation will be “of interest” to him.
Named Wang Yam, the accepted MI6 informant had sent several documents to the ISC and some prominent individuals last year. In these, Yam shared his knowledge of Huawei's plans for Britain, which, as per Yam, brought potential risks for the country, particularly through its 5G infrastructure.
Finding these documents useful and responding to Yam in a letter, chair of the ISC, Dr Julian Lewis, thanked him for the information. As seen by the Guardian, Lewis acknowledged that Yam discussed several "important areas of concern" in his letters, which addressed "the influence of China generally and Huawei in particular" on the UK’s telecommunications services.
He further added that the ISC is currently "conducting an inquiry into the national security issues relating to China." Stopping short of sharing any information of the ongoing investigation in his letter, Lewis hinted that the findings from this inquiry will be of interest to Yam.
As the Guardian reports, Wang is currently serving a life sentence in Lowdham Grange prison in Nottingham, UK. He was charged with the murder of author Alan Chappelow in 2009 but he continues to claim his innocence through his letters. Yam was a research assistant at the Chinese nuclear weapons research institute, before fleeing China and seeking refugee status in Britain in 1992. Yam also serves as an informant for MI6, the UK's Secret Intelligence Service, and was previously assigned to make contacts within the Chinese embassy.
Yam had also shared this information about Huawei with the US. As he told the Guardian, he corresponded with the “relevant authorities” in the US and they had assured him that his points were taken “most seriously.”
Huawei has been under the scrutiny of some nations for many years now. It has faced allegations of conducting practices of espionage and stealing trade secrets. On top of this, the company's deep-rooted ties with the Chinese government are also an alarming factor for nations like the US and the UK. Following a blanket ban on Huawei by the US, Britain also banned its telecom providers from using Huawei equipment for the country's 5G mobile network.
