China has expressed strong dissatisfaction with Germany’s reported plans to ban Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE from its 5G network. The Chinese embassy in Berlin issued a statement

on Wednesday, stating that if the report is true, China is puzzled and strongly dissatisfied with the decision. The embassy firmly opposes Germany’s generalisation of the concept of national security and abuse of state power to intervene in the market in its cooperation with China. It is also against the idea of violating economic laws and the principle of fair competition, which harms others rather than benefits itself.

The German newspaper Zeit Online reported that Berlin is preparing to prohibit telecoms companies from using certain components from Huawei and ZTE after spending months examining the country’s 5G networks for potential security risks. This move comes after similar bans were imposed by Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Although Germany passed legislation in 2021 to strengthen security standards for its next-generation networks, it avoided an outright ban on Chinese firms. Despite growing moves to isolate Chinese technology, Germany has become more reliant on Huawei for its 5G network, with the company supplying nearly 60% of base stations and related infrastructure, according to a survey by telecommunications consultancy Strand Consult last year.

However, Western security officials have claimed that Huawei and ZTE pose threats to national security and privacy due to their close ties to Beijing, making them unsuitable for involvement in next-generation communications networks. Huawei and ZTE have denied being a security risk.

In response to Germany’s reported plan, the Chinese embassy has stated that the ban would delay the rollout of the country’s 5G services. It added that the German government should listen carefully to the rational voice in its country.

The decision by Germany follows a pattern of countries across the world imposing bans on Chinese technology. The US and UK have banned Huawei from their 5G networks, with the UK deciding to remove all Huawei equipment by 2027. In addition, Australia banned Huawei and ZTE from its 5G network in 2018, and Japan has banned government purchases of Chinese-made telecoms equipment.

In conclusion, Germany’s reported plan to ban Huawei and ZTE from its 5G network has caused strong dissatisfaction from China. The move follows similar bans imposed by other countries, citing security risks posed by Chinese technology. The decision is likely to have a significant impact on Germany’s 5G network rollout, which has become increasingly reliant on Huawei’s infrastructure. Photo by Matti Blume, Wikimedia commons.