Ken Hu, rotating chairman of Huawei Technologies, speaks at the launch event of a new cyber security center in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT

Huawei launched a new cybersecurity transparency center on Tuesday in Brussels, Belgium, a direct response to the security debate in Europe ignited by the US. 

An open, digital prosperous Europe requires a secure, trustworthy digital environment, and Huawei opened a new cybersecurity center to help build this environment, Ken Hu, rotating chairman of the Chinese tech giant, told an opening ceremony held in Brussels. 

"In Huawei, we have a principal code for security… assume nothing, believe nobody and check everything," he said, noting that both trust and distrust should be based on facts that are verifiable. 

As the 5G era looms, the industry is facing major challenges including cyber risks exposed in a more connected world, and a lack of unified understanding of cybersecurity and of unified technical standards, the rotating chairman said. 

US authorities have launched a full-scale campaign against Huawei, charging it with stealing technology, violating trade sanctions and blocking it from doing business in the American market. 

Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, has warned allies in Europe to drop Huawei's equipment and products, citing risks to the national security of European countries. 

Compared with their US counterparts, whose words are charged with political rhetoric, European officials and industry representatives appeared to be more rational regarding security concerns surfacing from the next generation of wireless technologies, which connect not only people but also things. 

The only way to counter all these cyber threats is working together, and collaboration across the industry is key, Alex Sinclair, chief technology officer of telecoms industry body GSMA, told the launch event. 

Huawei's new cybersecurity center, opened in the heart of EU policymakers, is a milestone in the company's commitment in prioritizing security, Hu noted. 

"It would be obvious this is all about ensuring trust on the part of citizens and the government," Sinclair told the Global Times, commenting on the new cybersecurity center. This move could increase the level of openness and transparency, which will be helpful for fostering trust.

The center will offer an opportunity for Huawei's customers to evaluate our products and they can bring in third-party experts to evaluate our products, Andy Purdy, chief security officer of Huawei US, told the Global Times. "We believe that this center represents an example of the kind of transparency that all companies need, and it can be part of that effort," he said.