France prefers European 5G systems like Ericsson, Nokia but won’t ban Huawei

French President Emmanuel Macron says France isn't excluding Chinese telecom giant Huawei from its upcoming 5G telecommunication networks but favours European providers for security reasons.

The French leader spoke after ending up in visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Paris on Friday.

Macron said he previously already told Chinese President Xi Jinping about his preference for companies such as for example Ericsson and Nokia, saying “you'll do the same as me.”

“It’s normal that ... we want a European solution” as a result of the value of “the security of our communication,” Macron told reporters.

France’s information security agency ANSSI said last month that Huawei Technologies Ltd. will never be banned from France, but French telecoms operators that buy its technology is only going to be able to get licences limited by eight years. The French government has said it'll restrict Huawei’s 5G technology to safeguard military bases, nuclear installations and other sensitive sites.

Huawei is at the centre of a significant dispute between Washington and Beijing over technology and security. US officials say Huawei is a risk of security, that your company denies, and are lobbying European and other allies in order to avoid its technology because they upgrade to next-generation networks.

China, meanwhile, is trying to encourage Europeans to ensure usage of their markets for Chinese telecom and technology companies.