Chinese companies including Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. are eyeing expulsion from the European Union’s critical infrastructure, the Financial Times reported, citing official sources, as the bloc seeks to force the phase-out of Chinese equipment from its telecommunications networks and solar energy systems.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The European Commission, China’s Ministry of Commerce, Huawei and ZTE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Huawei faces a tougher stance in the EU and the US
A Reuters report noted that Huawei is considering the future of a recently completed plant in eastern France, amid a growing crackdown on the use of Chinese equipment by some governments and the slow rollout of 5G in Europe.
The United States has banned approval of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE in 2022 amid a trade war with China and has urged European allies to do the same, he added.
In November 2025, Bloomberg cited sources as reporting that the European Commission was looking at ways to force member states to phase out Huawei and ZTE from their telecommunications networks. Notably, the UK and Sweden banned the use of Chinese vendors years ago.
She said Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen was exploring ways to limit the use of Chinese equipment suppliers in landline networks, even as the country pushes to expand high-speed Internet access.
(With inputs from Reuters)