Back in November, the Chinese ambassador to Denmark, Feng Tie, put great pressure on the Faroese teammate in the case of Huawei’s delivery of 5G networks.

This is evidenced by the disputed audio recording that the TV station Kringvarp Føroyar was slowed to publish last week when the Faroe Islands court banned a bailiff in the case.

DR Nyheter is aware of the contents of the audio file, which relates to a meeting held on November 11 between the Faroese layman, Bárður á Steig Nielsen, and the Chinese ambassador to Denmark, Feng Tie.

The microphone was on

The content of the conversation was reproduced when Kringvarp Føroya was to interview the Faroese Minister of Commerce a few days later.

In connection with the interview, the minister was advised by his head of department, but the microphone was not switched off and therefore the advice was accidentally recorded by the TV station.

According to the DR’s information, the head of the ministry here stated that during the November 11 meeting, the Chinese ambassador had made it clear that the Faroe Islands could forget about trade agreements with China if the telecommunications company Føroyar Tele did not enter into a 5G network agreement with Chinese telegraph giant Huawei.

Bail bans do not cover Danish media

In recent years, the Faroe Islands have put great effort and resources into landing a free trade agreement with China.

Conversely, the Chinese ambassador let the layman understand that an agreement between Huawei and Føroyar Tele would pave the way for uninterrupted trade opportunities between the two countries.

The bail ban only covers the Faroese TV station, according to the lawyer representing the TV station, Jógvan Páll Lassen.

Therefore, Danish media may well discuss the content, states professor of law Sten Schaumburg-Müller.

– The ban that was imposed on the Kringvarp Faroe Islands applies only to this media and not others, says Sten Schaumburg-Müller, professor at the University of Southern Denmark.

He is backed by Vibeke Borberg, a lawyer and researcher in the media, who notes that the ruling is addressed to the parties to the case, Krinvarp Faroe Islands and the Ministry of Environment, Industry and Trade.