South Africa Supporting Huawei, China Says

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is backing Huawei, the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office of the Chinese Embassy in the United Arab Emirates said in a July 11 press release. The press release included comments from Arthur Goldstuck of World Wide Worx, a South African market research company, who said the country has reaffirmed its commitment to buying from the Chinese tech giant. “It's very clear that Huawei has the full support of (our) government,” Goldstuck said, adding the company plays a “key role” in the South African market. He also pointed to lack of "home-grown technologies" that can ramp up quickly to 5G, so Huawei has a role to fill in the South African “engagement with the so-called 4th industrial revolution," he said.

The comments come as the U.S. tries to gain multilateral support for the export license restrictions it placed on U.S. companies selling to Huawei. Ramaphosa said he has been told by local telecommunication companies that the U.S.’s dispute with Huawei will hurt the South African economy, according to Reuters.