Huawei is likely to be banned by Australia from participating in a 5G mobile telecommunications roll-out across the country. Australia claims Huawei is de facto controlled by China and sensitive infrastructure will fall into the hands of Beijing, according to Australian media reports. Huawei denies the allegations, and dismissed Canberra’s security concerns.

“Recent public commentary around China has referenced Huawei and its role in Australia and prompted some observations around security concerns,” Huawei Australia chairman John Lord and board directors John Brumby and Lance Hockridge said in an open letter, reported by Reuters. “Many of these comments are ill-informed and not based on facts,” they added.

Huawei said it operates in 170 countries, abiding by national laws and guidelines. The company has 5G investments in Britain, Canada and New Zealand where it said the respective governments had taken up its offer to evaluate the company’s services to make sure it abided by cybersecurity protocols.

A spokesman for Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Huawei’s letter. Australia has longstanding concerns about Huawei. In 2012 it banned the company from supplying its National Broadband Network, and in May the government committed millions of dollars to ensure Huawei did not build a cable between Australia and the Solomon Islands