France will allow Huawei a role in its 5G network

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire has said that France would not block Huawei's role in their 5G network. (Credit: VCG)

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire has announced that France will not block Huawei's role in the country's 5G network.

Le Maire made the announcement in an interview on Thursday morning, saying: "Huawei will not be excluded" from France's future telecommunications operations, adding that the country does not "discriminate" between mobile operators.

The news will reassure Beijing and especially the Chinese embassy in Paris, which had previously called on the French government to "treat all companies equally," as Western nations continue to debate the Chinese company's involvement in developing their 5G networks.

Le Maire said that 'if Huawei has a better offer from a technical point of view, from the point of view of price, then it will have access to 5G in France.' (Credit: AFP)

Le Maire said it is "perfectly understandable that we can at one time or another favor a European operator," but he pointed out that "if Huawei has a better offer from a technical point of view, from the point of view of price, then it will have access to 5G in France."

One hurdle the Chinese mobile company has to clear is trying to convince foreign governments that using its technology in 5G networks will not constitute a security risk.

Le Maire admitted: "There will be restrictive measures and we will protect our national sovereignty, especially around military bases."

He added: "I will speak to my Chinese counterpart and I'm sure they can understand why we protect our national interests. Every country does the same: China, the UK, Europe in general."

Huawei has rejected claims its involvement in Western 5G networks represents a security risk. (Credit: AFP)

The U.S. is likely to question the decision taken by France.

US officials hit out at London last month after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the green light for Huawei to have a role in building Britain's 5G mobile network.

Washington has argued that the mobile company is an extension of the Chinese government, but Huawei has always rejected claims it represents a security risk.

After the announcement from France on Thursday and following the European Union's decision to back a rules-based approach to the involvement of various companies in its network, Germany also seems set not to exclude Huawei from its 5G development.

On 11 February, German members of parliament recommended a paper outlining tougher rules on foreign vendors, but stopped short of barring Huawei.