Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Saturday that technology firm Huawei was too close to the Chinese government, adding that Washington was concerned about cyber attacks and the theft of intellectual property.

"Huawei is too close to the government," Shanahan said at an Asian security summit in Singapore.

The United States has accused Huawei of espionage, breaching trade sanctions against Iran and intellectual property theft. Huawei disputes all allegations against it.