Germany to stick to 5G auction rules despite U.S. sanctions on Huawei -Merkel

BERLIN - Germany will stick to its position that companies like Huawei bidding in the country's 5G auction must meet criteria set by the government, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday when asked about U.S. sanctions imposed on the Chinese company.

Germany in March set tough rules for vendors supplying telecoms network equipment, but stopped short of singling out China's Huawei Technologies for special treatment due to concerns over its ties to the Chinese government.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, writing by Joseph Nasr Editing by Paul Carrel) ((Joseph.Nasr@thomsonreuters.com; +49 172 678 5836; Reuters Messaging: joseph.nasr.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))