US warns EU allies against Chinese 5G gear

A man walks by a Huawei logo at a shopping mall in Shanghai, China, on 6 December 2018. Reuters File Photo
A man walks by a Huawei logo at a shopping mall in Shanghai, China, on 6 December 2018. Reuters File Photo

The United States sees the European Union as its top priority to convince allies not to buy Huawei Technologies Co. equipment for next-generation mobile networks, a US State Department Official said on Tuesday.

"We are saying you need to be very, very cautious and we are urging folks not to rush ahead and sign contracts with untrusted suppliers from countries like China," the official said in Brussels after meeting EU and Belgian counterparts.

The official is due to travel to France and Germany later this week and said the United States would use all diplomatic and mobile industry events to warn European governments.