The youth charity founded by Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, said it will not accept any new donations from Huawei Technologies “in light of public concerns”, in the latest sign of strain in one of the Chinese company’s biggest markets.
Huawei is a major supplier of broadband gear and mobile networks in Britain, but officials have warned that its technology exposes its networks to new security risks.
The company has also come in for wider scrutiny in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan over concerns it could facilitate Chinese government spying. Huawei says it is a private company not under Chinese government control and not subject to Chinese security laws overseas.
The Prince’s Trust, founded by the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth in 1976 to help disadvantaged young people in Britain, said it had received 490,000 pounds from Huawei since 2007.
“At present, we are not accepting new donations from Huawei in light of public concerns,” it said in a statement. “Future donations will continue to be reviewed by our Ethical Fundraising Committee.” Britain’s Oxford University said last week it had stopped accepting funding from Huawei “in light of public concerns”.
