Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei says it has terminated the employment of a Chinese worker arrested on spying allegations in Poland.
Polish authorities on Friday arrested Wang Weijing and a former Polish security official on Friday on spying allegations, a move that could fuel Western security concerns about the company.
The two men have heard the charges and could be held for three months.
Poland's Internal Affairs Minister, Joachim Brudzinski, called for the European Union and NATO to work on a joint position over whether to exclude Huawei from their markets following the arrest.
Brudzinski said Poland wanted to continue cooperating with China but that a discussion is needed on whether to exclude Huawei from some markets.
"There are concerns about Huawei within NATO as well. It would make most sense to have a joint stance, among EU member states and NATO members," he told private broadcaster RMF FM.
"We want relations with China that are good, intensive, and attractive for both sides."Seeking to distance itself from the incident, Huawei said in a statement it has sacked Wang Weijing, whose "alleged actions have no relation to the company".
"In accordance with the terms and conditions of Huawei's labour contract, we have made this decision because the incident has brought Huawei into disrepute," the statement said.
"Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries where it operates, and we require every employee to abide by the laws and regulations in the countries where they are based," the company's statement added.
A Huawei spokesman, Joe Kelly, declined to give any further details.
A spokesman for the Polish security services had told Reuters the allegations related to individual actions, and were not linked directly to Huawei Technologies.
A deputy digital affairs minister in Poland said, however, that Warsaw was analysing any involvement by Huawei in building the country's 5G telecommunications infrastructure, Money.pl portal reported.
Any decision by Western governments over whether to exclude Huawei from their markets would have to consider the possible impact on the speed and cost of 5G development, analysts say.
China's Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over the case and is urging Poland to handle the case "justly".
In December, the Czech Republic's National Cyber and Information Security Agency issued a warning against equipment Huawei and ZTE.
"China's laws, among other things, require private companies residing in China to cooperate with intelligence services, therefore introducing them into the key state systems might present a threat," says the director of NCISA Dusan Navrátil.
Navrátil also warned that China "actively pursues its interests in the territory of the Czech Republic, including influence and espionage intelligence activities".
