China’s foreign ministry called for a fair commercial environment for its companies, Reuters reported, following fresh reports claiming US officials were trying to persuade a number of countries to ban Huawei equipment.

The Wall Street Journal was among the publications reporting US government officials had contacted “friendly” countries where Huawei equipment was in use to highlight perceived security risks. Markets targeted include Germany, Italy and Japan.

One of the newspaper’s sources said nations banning China-made equipment could receive financial support from the US related to telecoms infrastructure.

Rumours of the US’s attempts to persuade other countries to avoid using Huawei are nothing new, with numerous reports appearing since the US banned government agencies and contractors from using ZTE and Huawei equipment in August.

Following its US ban, Huawei warned authorities in the country its absence would increase prices and slow the rollout of 5G services. It has also highlighted several times it had met national security guidance in Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK, Canada and New Zealand.

At the company’s MBBF event earlier this week, Huawei said it had already signed 22 contracts for 5G equipment across the world and showcased partnerships with a number of operators including BT EE, Telefonica, Vodafone and Telecom Italia.

In addition to bans on Huawei and ZTE equipment, the US has been hostile to China-based companies across several industries, with the two countries at loggerheads over trade for months.