Huawei 'caught in the middle" of US-China tensions The company, founded by Ren Zhengfei, a former officer in China's People's Liberation Army, is attempting to expand its businesses overseas but has been dogged by claims that it poses a security risk to the countries it wants to buy into. Critics claim that its networks could be hijacked by the Chinese government for spying. Cyber security is something the whole industry should face, and work together to face this [problem]. That's why we attend a lot of meetings with [telecoms companies] BT, Vodafone, Nokia, Telefonica, EE and Alcatel Lucent," she added at a Vodafone conference in London. In the UK we have set up a security centre in Banbury [to ensure it is] transparent about our products, so that [customers] can check products and to earn trust. Objections to Huawei's expanding footprint have been strongest in the US, where the Chinese company was blocked from acquiring certain businesses. However, concerns have also been raised in France and, to a lesser extent, the UK, where Huawei is responsible for building a large proportion of the nation's mobile telecoms infrastructure. Last month, Maj Gen Jonathan Shaw, the Ministry of Defence's former head of cyber security, warned that the UK Government is risking national security by giving too much access to the Chinese telecoms giant. The concern over corporate espionage is a bit like global warming. It is not today's issue. But, by God, it is there," he said. Meanwhile, MPs, led by Sir Malcolm Rifkind, are investigating Huawei's relationship with BT. They are expected to report before Christmas.