German Chancellor Angela Merkel speeches during her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin (not pictured) at Meseberg governmental house August 18, 2018 in Gransee, Germany.

Germany will define its own security standards for a new 5G mobile network, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, when asked about Washington's warning that it would scale back data-sharing with Berlin if China's Huawei was allowed to participate.

"Security, particularly when it comes to the expansion of the 5G network, but also elsewhere in the digital area, is a very important concern for the German government, so we are defining our standards for ourselves," Merkel said.

"We will also discuss these questions with our partners in Europe, as well as the appropriate offices in the United States."

U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell last week sent a letter to Germany's Economy Minister Altmaier warning of security concerns linked to Huawei's role in building critical infrastructure.