Chinese telecoms firm Huawei has hit back at claims made by the US that the company was too closely tied to the communist government and provided a US 'national security threat'.

Charles Ding, senior vice-president of Huawei, said to US lawmakers:

"Huawei has not and will not jeopardise our global commercial success nor the integrity of our customers' networks for any third party, government or otherwise."

The US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee said that after an 11 month investigation into Huawei and fellow Chinese company ZTE that they cannot be trusted, accusing the companies of spying for the Chinese government using codes installed on their equipment.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rodgers delivered a damning verdict of the two companies:

"Huawei and ZTE seek to expand in the United States, but as a result of our investigation, we do not have the confidence these two companies, with their ties to the Chinese government can be entrusted with infrastructure of such critical importance. Again, our advice to the private sector is this: your obligation is to consider larger data protection and national security implications of your business decisions and we would not advise doing business with these two companies."

Bill Plummer, Vice President of external affairs for Huawei, reckoned the move by the US government was political:

"Look, there are politics and then there are facts. The facts are that this company is globally trusted and our product is world proven in terms of its security and integrity. That's the truth today, those are the facts today, those will be the facts tomorrow, political distractions aside...dangerous political distractions."

The world's second largest supplier of telecommunications network gear, the committee's verdict is likely to harm Huawei's expansion in America and put a further strain on relations between the US and China.

Written and presented by Alfred Joyner