NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the West could not ignore the rise of China. Beijing was coming closer to the West in various ways – in the Arctic, in cyberspace and in critical infrastructure, including telecommunications, he told BBC radio.

The head of the Western military alliance also said it was important that Britain had a review of the role of Huawei in its 5G network to ensure its security.

“I trust that the UK government will design their networks in ways that protect the networks and make sure that the UK has secure 5G networks,” Stoltenberg told BBC radio.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, when asked about Stoltenberg’s comments, said that China does not pose a threat to any country. “We hope NATO can continue to hold a correct opinion about us and view our development rationally,” Reuters quoted the spokeswoman as saying.