“A confidential report to the government will be produced when the review is completed,” he said today after launching HeiTech Padu Bhd’s Hei Tech Venture Programme to support the growth of start-up companies in Malaysia.
He was referring to the Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which is engaging with its counterparts in countries which have taken stands against Huawei.
MCMC is also consulting Cyber-Security Malaysia on specific topics.
Last week, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government would conduct a study to determine the details before excluding Huawei from building its 5G infrastructure in the country.
Until now, he said, the government had not found the company guilty of any wrongdoing in Malaysia.
Council of Eminent Persons chairman Daim Zainuddin had warned of the exponential rise of China’s 5G technology, saying it was capable of creating cyber and digital security threats to the country.
He highlighted concerns that the technology would be abused to steal important information and encroach on Malaysia’s “digital sovereignty”.
However, he said the government had no plans to stop Huawei from operating in Malaysia as the authorities were capable of assessing threats to cyber and digital security.
Huawei came under the spotlight after Western governments raised red flags over its products, saying they could be used for spying.
Huawei’s participation in 5G infrastructure has been growing, particularly in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Germany.
The company is banned from bidding for government contracts in the US, where intelligence services have raised questions about Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei’s links to China’s ruling communist party.
The US has also warned its international peers that Huawei’s equipment may contain “back doors” that could be used for cyber espionage.
Last month, Huawei equipment was removed from a communications system being developed for the UK’s emergency services.
It was reported that Germany is considering the introduction of stricter security standards to block Huawei from its 5G rollout, while Australia and New Zealand have already enforced similar bans.