Photo: Deng Zijun/GT

Huawei says it's "shocked and disappointed" at Sweden's 5G ban, adding that Sweden's accusations of a security threat have no factual basis, and hopes the government of Sweden will reevaluate its decision.

"The decision to ban Huawei was simply based on conjecture and speculation rather than facts. It's unfair to Huawei and we cannot accept it," the Chinese tech firm said in a statement it sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.

The response came as Sweden on Tuesday banned Huawei and ZTE from upcoming 5G networks ahead of a spectrum auction in the 3.5-gigahertz band scheduled for November.

In a Tuesday statement, the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) said it had decided on license conditions to address the assessments by the Swedish Armed Forces and security service.

"China deplores Sweden's decision," Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a press conference on Wednesday. "With no evidence, Sweden takes national security as a pretext to slander Chinese companies, openly oppress Chinese telecom companies, and politicize normal economic cooperation, which violates the principle of a free, open, fair, just and non-discriminatory market economy that Sweden pursues, as well as the rules of international trade and investment," said Zhao.

He urged Sweden to correct its mistake and avoid negative impact on China-Sweden economic cooperation and the Swedish businesses operating in China.

Huawei has operated in Sweden for 20 years and has built a network of offices in over 170 countries and regions over the past 30 years, and there has never been any major cybersecurity incident, the firm said in the statement. It says it's an important contributor to the Swedish ICT industry, not a threat. 

"We did not, do not, and will never pose any threats to Sweden's cybersecurity. Excluding Huawei will not make Sweden's network more secure, but it will greatly restrict competition and innovation," it said.

"We will carefully evaluate the impact, hoping the Swedish government will reconsider the decision with fairness, justice and openness," Huawei said, noting that it will also continue to seek further communication with the Swedish government, and continue to serve local customers well and create value for the local economy.

In May, Anders Ygeman, the Swedish Minister for Energy and Digital Development, said it saw no problem with equipment from Huawei being used in 5G deployment, according to a report by TT News Agency.

He also reportedly said that the Nordic country's legislation is not aimed at a particular company or country. 

The ban also comes as the Trump Administration has been intensified its crackdown on Huawei, and has been pressuring European countries to ban Huawei's equipment over the past months, alleging Huawei equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. 

Huawei has repeatedly denied being a national security risk, and the US has not yet offered any solid evidence.