Ever since the US started its clampdown on Huawei‘s infrastructures in its territory, shunning its 5G infrastructure, efforts have been made to get allies to also do the same. The US is said to have contacted several countries such as Germany, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Norway, the UK and Denmark in order to get them to shun using Huawei’s hardware for 5G. Seems Germany isn’t adhering to that advice as the latest comments by Chancellor Angela Merkel suggest.
The German Chancellor while addressing students at the Keio University during an ongoing state visit to Japan stated that she simply wants guarantees that Huawei will not be handing over data to the Chinese government. She was a quick to add that the statement is not directed at just the Chinese hardware giant, but to all companies who want to work in Germany, emphasizing that security and privacy are key.
Huawei has repeatedly denied that user data could be released to the Chinese government. The company’s founder only recently stated that the company will resist any request by the Chinese goernment for data that compromises users’ privacies. Till date, there is no proof that Huawei could be spying for China btut the company has been accused of several shady trade practices like stealing trade secret. Although there is a law that mandates all Chinese companies to turn in data to the government on request, it is rather weird that other Chinese phone manufacturers don’t get such close scrutiny. The company wasn’t even given any strict set of guidlines that could bring transparency to its dealings with the Chinese government or anyway out of the mistrust. Could it be that the US feels threatened by the rapid growth of the company in the telecommunication industry? Whatever reasons adduced for the ban sounds convincing to some countries as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Czech Republic and Taiwan are already with the US. Norway, the UK and even Germany itself are yet to make final decisions on whether or not to allow Huawei provide 5G infrastructre.
(source)
