Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian is making remarks at a press briefing on April 7. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

It is hoped that France can "independently make its choices based on its own interests" and provide an open, unbiased, and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from all countries including China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The remarks were made after the head of French cybersecurity agency ANSSI said there would not be an outright ban on the use of Huawei equipment in the rollout of the French 5G telecoms networks, according to a Reuters report on Monday.

However, "for operators that are not currently using Huawei, we (France) are inciting them not to go for it," Guillaume Poupard told Les Echos newspaper in an interview, according to the Reuters report.

China has always seen 5G as the cutting-edge ICT technology heralding the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The development and utilization of 5G will surely be the result of consultations, co-construction and sharing among countries, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a regular press conference in Beijing on Monday.

The French government has repeatedly stated that it will not take discriminatory measures against specific countries and enterprises on the 5G issue, and it will not exclude China's Huawei, Zhao added.

"We hope France will maintain an objective and fair attitude, independently make its decision based on its own national interests, and provide a practical, open, unbiased and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from all countries including China," Zhao said.

US' Trump administration has urged its allies to exclude the Chinese tech giant from the construction of their 5G networks.

Orange, a state-controlled telecoms operator in France, has earlier chosen Nokia and Ericsson over Huawei.

Global Times