Trump softens stance on overseas technologies

President Donald Trump has signalled a weakening in US resolve to block overseas companies such as Huawei from being used in mobile networks.

In a tweet, President Trump warned US tech companies to "step up their efforts, or get left behind” as he said he wants the country to lead in the technology sector through competition and not by blocking others.

"I want the United States to win through competition, not by blocking out currently more advanced technologies," he said, adding that he wanted "5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible". 6G technology does not yet exist.

Trump came out with this stance against a background of the high-level talks taking place with China in Washington, where one bone of contention has been technology.

The US last year was reported to be putting pressure on political allies, including the UK, Germany and Japan, to exclude Chinese tech hardware firm Huawei from their 5G mobile networks.

Some governments have banned Huawei, including New Zealand, though the UK recently said that the risks are manageable and will not ban the company's technology.

Trump’s tweets came hours after Fox Business Network aired an interview with Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in which he said of 5G and Huawei’s involvement: “They are creating a real risk for these countries and their systems -- the security of their people. Europeans care deeply about their privacy. The risk to privacy from this technology is very, very real, and we’re out sharing this information.”