Huawei reportedly gets the green light to participate in Britain’s 5G rollout, a would-be setback for the U.S.

Top British officials apparently have decided to let the Chinese technology giant Huawei help develop an ultra-fast 5G wireless network in the United Kingdom, according to reports, in spite of pressure by U.S. officials to freeze out the company on security grounds. The leak of the apparent decision by Britain’s National Security Council — a panel led by Prime Minister Theresa May — risks inflaming tensions between the U.K. and the Trump administration as Huawei flexes its muscles as the world’s dominant supplier of telecom equipment. And it instantly created a political firestorm among members of Parliament determined to hunt down the source of the leak. Any decision to move forward with Huawei will not be official until it is announced by the secretary for digital culture and reported to Parliament. And one senior official said that deliberations are still ongoing. But any council conclusion to let Huawei participate, even in a limited way, in Britain’s 5G rollout would be a significant diplomatic defeat and raise the security risks for the United States, whose networks connect with Britain’s and which has argued that Huawei’s networking equipment cannot be trusted — and could be used for spying purposes or to disrupt networks.