US warns Germany over Huawei security risk

The US has warned Germany that it will stop sharing its intelligence data with the European nation unless it boycotts using Huawei's 5G mobile network.

American ambassador to Germany Richard A Grenell said he is concerned that the Chinese company could be a risk to the secure communications system currently being used for defence and intelligence cooperation and is urging its allies to boycott it.

The news comes after a recent report from the Royal United Services Institute suggested there may be a 'hidden back door' that Huawei could build into a 5G network that would allow China to access data while being undetectable to the UK and its allies.

Britain is now reviewing whether or not Huawei should be allowed to remain part of the British 5G network.

Losing US intelligence sharing would be a major blow for Europe, as research suggests security agencies have been relying heavily on it to prevent terror attacks.

Germany has recently said it does not want to ban Huawei from its networks, but will tighten security, Reuters reported.

Huawei has rejected the claims against it as a "smear" and denies any links to the Chinese government or intelligence services.