LONDON (June 4): The UK is in talks with a rival to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd as Boris Johnson’s officials revise the British government’s stance towards China in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Officials spoke with Japanese technology company NEC Corp in May as part of efforts to diversify the range of equipment providers for the UK’s fifth-generation mobile networks, a person familiar with the matter said. The government is also looking at Samsung Electronics Co Ltd as a possible option to provide crucial 5G infrastructure, the person said.