Boris Johnson Unveils ‘New Deal’ For Britain As He Sets Out Post-Coronavirus Recovery Plan

Britain on Tuesday bowed to growing US pressure and ordered the phased removal of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from its 5G network despite warnings of retaliation from Beijing.

The policy reversal hands a long-sought victory to US President Donald Trump's administration in its geopolitical tug-of-war with China.

The White House said the decision "reflects a growing international consensus that Huawei and other untrusted vendors pose a threat to national security, as they remain beholden to the Chinese Communist Party".

But the move threatens to further damage Britain's ties with the Asian power and carry a big cost for UK mobile providers that have relied on Huawei equipment for nearly 20 years.

Huawei called it "politicised" and likely to put Britain "in the digital slow lane".

China's ambassador in London, Liu Xiaoming, called it a "disappointing and wrong decision".

"It has become questionable whether the UK can provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from other countries," he wrote on Twitter.