Beijing: China's foreign ministry has again lashed out at Australia for its decision to ban Chinese telecommunications company Huawei from participating in the rollout of its 5G network and accused Australia of "lecturing other countries".

The admonishment followed former prime minister Tony Abbott's comments in an interview urging Britain to do the same and ban Huawei from participating.

When asked about Mr Abbott's comments, and Australia lobbying India on the issue, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a press conference it amounted to "blatant discrimination against Chinese companies".

Australia was the first US ally to effectively ban Huawei from the construction of its 5G network. Britain and Canada are still examining whether to allow Huawei, a leader in 5G technology, to participate. They have faced pressure from the United States to ban the company.