British lawmakers grilled a Huawei executive on the company's security practices in a hearing on Monday as the U.K debates what role the Chinese tech giant will play in building out 5G networks across the country.

In a hearing about Britain's telecommunications industry in the House of Commons, John Suffolk, Huawei's global cyber security and privacy officer, defended the company as "independent," saying it would not bow to pressure to supply information from its mobile networks to the Chinese government.

"No one can put us under pressure," he said. "We've made it quite clear, regardless of who the country would be. If we were put under any pressure by any country that we felt was wrong, we would prefer to close the business."

The U.K. is debating whether to allow Huawei to supply software and equipment for next-generation 5G wireless networks. 5G promises super-fast speeds and low lag times, potentially transforming industries from driverless cars to health care.