One of Britain's most senior security officials will review a cybersecurity centre operated by Chinese company Huawei after concerns that the telecommunications firm - which is playing an increasingly large role in Britain's internet infrastructure - cannot be relied on to police its own systems.
The government said National Security Adviser Kim Darroch would review the workings of a Huawei facility known as the Cell - intended to ensure the integrity of the company's products, which include routers deployed across Britain's fibre optic cable network.
Last year, the Australian government prevented Huawei from working on the rollout of the National Broadband Network.
MPs on the British parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee have argued in a report that the Cell was set up too late and is too dependent on Huawei personnel to provide the oversight needed to ensure the system doesn't leave the door open to foreign spies.
In recommendations published last month, the MPs suggested that Britain's eavesdropping agency GCHQ staff the site, which is run at Huawei's expense.
In a six-page response to the committee's report, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said Darroch would look into the recommendations as part of his review and report to him later in the year.
In a statement, Huawei Technologies said it welcomed the review.
"Huawei shares the same goal as the UK government and the (committee) in raising the standards of cybersecurity in the UK and ensuring that network technology benefits UK consumers," it said. "Huawei is open to new ideas and ways of working to improve cybersecurity. "
Huawei is one of the world's leading suppliers of telecommunications network equipment, but the privately held company's alleged links to the Chinese government have piqued anxiety in Western capitals over possible espionage.
Last year, a US congressional panel recommended phone carriers avoid doing business with it or its smaller Chinese rival, ZTE Corp, for fear of putting America's infrastructure at risk.
In Australia, Huawei was barred from bidding for work on the NBN - reportedly on national security grounds.
The British parliamentary report cited both of those decisions as it argued that Britain's government should exercise greater caution before allowing a foreign company to become "embedded in the heart" of the country's critical infrastructure.
