Chinese Huawei employee arrested and charged with espionage in Poland

World Today

The Huawei logo displayed at the main office of Chinese tech giant Huawei in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Poland’s Internal Security Agency has charged a Chinese manager at Huawei in Poland and one of its own former officers with espionage against Poland on behalf of China. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

A Chinese national has been arrested in Poland. He, along with a former Polish counter-espionage officer, is charged with spying.

Poland’s security services tell the Reuters news agency that the Chinese national was detained for his own actions – and not related to his work for tech giant Huawei.

China’s Foreign Ministry voiced “grave concerns” and has offered consular services for its national.

CGTN’s Ira Spitzer has more.

Polish security officials confirmed that a Chinese national and a Polish man were arrested on Jan. 8.

According to media reports, the Chinese man is a Huawei employee, Wang Weijing, also known as Stanislaw Wang.  The Polish detainee, Piotr D, is a former Polish security official who works in the telecom industry.  

Both men have heard the charges and will be held for three months.

The details of the charges have not been made public but could carry a prison sentence up to 10 years if both are found guilty of spying.    

Huawei is the world’s largest producer of telecom equipment. Huawei said in a statement that it was aware of the situation and was looking into it, and that they are in compliance with local regulations in the countries where they operate.

China’s Foreign Ministry issued this statement: “China is following closely the detention of Wang Weijing by Poland’s Internal Security Agency. The Chinese Embassy in Poland met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the earliest opportunity, requesting the Polish side to brief them on the case and arrange consular visits as soon as possible. China asked Poland to handle the case lawfully, fairly and properly to effectively guarantee the legitimate rights of the person, his safety and his humanitarian treatment.”

Huawei has faced allegations from the U.S. and elsewhere that its equipment could be used to facilitate spying by the Chinese government.

However, no evidence has ever been shown to back up these claims. Last month, Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada on a U.S. warrant for allegedly violating sanctions against Iran.

In Germany, Huawei is slated to be included in an upcoming auction to build out the country’s 5G infrastructure, despite some concerns domestically and reports of pressure from the U.S. over the issue.


Professor Arthur Dong discusses arrest of Huawei executive in Poland on spying charges

CGTN’s Mike Walter spoke with Professor Arthur Dong about arrest of Huawei senior employee in Poland and implications for the company.