Germany – China

The Chinese authorities are now responding to Germany considering restricting the use of Chinese equipment in the German 5G network. The Chinese embassy has warned Germany against putting into place plans to phase out components from Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE from the New Year. “If the German government really decides to go in this direction without proving that Chinese products pose a security threat to Germany, we will not stand idly by,” the embassy said in a statement sent to Reuters news agency.
     The German Interior Ministry has proposed phasing the producers out for security reasons and a high dependence on Chinese products in critical infrastructure. And although a total ban on Huawei and ZTE products would solve this problem, it is not immediately possible because it would shut down parts of the network completely. Therefore, it would have to be done gradually.
     In July, Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented a new German strategy towards an increasingly “confident” China, Germany’s largest trading partner. The EU has also warned against becoming too dependent on Chinese technology, and Sweden and Britain have already imposed near-total bans on Chinese 5G telecommunications equipment. In Denmark, TDC Net, Telia, Telenor and 3 entered into agreements with Swedish Ericsson back in 2020 to supply 5G equipment for their Danish 5G network. Earlier this year, the Centre for Cyber Security ordered TDC Net to replace Huawei components for a three-digit million amount in the fibre network. /ritzau/