Germany setting an example with tough stand on 5G Networks: US Official

The United States wants foreign governments to follow Germany in adopting stricter security standards for next-generation 5G networks, a U.S. cybersecurity official said on Wednesday, adding that doing so would effectively rule out the use of Chinese equipment vendors. Germany in March set tougher criteria for vendors supplying telecoms network equipment, stopping short of singling out China's Huawei Technologies for special treatment and instead of saying the same rules should apply to all vendors.

Speaking on a call with reporters on Wednesday, Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber, international communications and information policy at the U.S. State Department, said Washington approved of the German move. "At this point we're looking for governments to adopt security standards like we're seeing in Germany," he said. "We think it was a very positive step forward in the German standards."