LONDON (Reuters) – The head of the NATO military alliance said on Wednesday that the West could not ignore the rise of China and so it was important that the United Kingdom had a review of the role of Huawei in its 5G network to ensure its security.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said China was coming closer to the West in various ways – in the Arctic, in cyberspace and in critical infrastructure, including telecommunications.

“I trust that the UK government will design their networks in ways that protect the networks and make sure that the UK has secure 5G networks,” Stoltenberg told BBC radio.

“Therefore, also I think it is important that there now will be a new review looking at exactly how to make sure that should happen,” he said.

As part of a broader reassessment of relations with China, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre is analysing the impact of recent U.S. sanctions on Britain’s decision earlier this year to allow Huawei a role in building its 5G network.