(Ecofin Agency) - South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa says it continues to trust partner Huawei despite standoff with US.

Speaking during the 4IRSA Digital Economy Summit held in Johannesburg on July 5, the Head of State said “this standoff between China and the US where the technology company Huawei is being used as a victim because of its successes is an example of protectionism that will affect our own telecommunications sector, particularly the efforts to roll out the 5G network, causing a setback on other networks as well.”

“We support a company that is going to take our country and indeed the world to better technologies, and that is 5G. We cannot afford to have our economy held back because of this fight,” he added.

The strong trust Ramaphosa has in Huawei is based on the privileged relations his country has with China, as the two nations are members of the BRICS, the economic association that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Also, the Chinese company which claims to be the most advanced company in 5G technology research, has already secured more than 40 commercial 5G contracts worldwide.