KRGV.com

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) The head of the Australian subsidiary of Huawei Technologies Ltd. has urged Australia not to be swayed by report from the U.S. Congress that referred to the Chinese telecommunications giant as a potential security risk.

Huawei Australia Chairman John Lord told the National Press Club on Wednesday that the debate about cybersecurity in Australia should not "become distorted the way it has in the U.S."

He attributed the report's conclusions on trade tensions and the U.S. presidential race.

The U.S. House Intelligence Committee report earlier this month that said American companies should avoid sourcing network equipment from Huawei and fellow Chinese technology provider ZTE Corp. because both companies posed a national security threat to the United States.

Lord says the report is "protectionism, not security."