Australia took a cue from the U.S. by banning Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei Technologies Co. from its next-generation 5G mobile network, underscoring concerns about potential cyberspying by Beijing.
On Thursday, Australia’s government said companies that are “likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law” wouldn’t be able to guarantee network security. The statement didn’t specifically mention Chinese companies, but Huawei said it was told that it and ZTE Corp. ZTCOY -2.37% were barred from the rollout.