Huawei calls for global cooperation in data protection

Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei has called for global cooperation to improve data protection, reports say. This comes amid recent international concern over the company's alleged links to the state, and the company being barred from work in some countries following cyberattacks being traced to China.

The company's founder Ren Zhengfei, was speaking in a rare public appearance on Friday, according to an article over the weekend by the Associated Press. It added that Ren, who was at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia, had warned that data would be "vulnerable to attack again and again",because technology would develop faster than security.

"Cyber security is a common issue that the whole industry has to face," the Huawei founder said, according to the news agency. "We must join hands to proactively address this issue."

Huawei was barred from taking part in a tender for Australia's planned high-speed Internet network due to national security concerns. Last year, the Chinese company also failed to acquire U.S. computer company, 3Leaf Systems, after it failed to win approval from a government security panel.

The company, along with Chinese counterpart ZTE, is currently under a probe by U.S. authorities over spy allegations. This was partly over concerns that the Chinese government is hacking into U.S. networks via its telecom intermediaries.