The Chinese embassy said it opposes “abuse of state power” after reports that Berlin would ban Chinese firms from using the 5G network.
The Chinese embassy said China was “very unhappy” with reports of German plans to ban Huawei and ZTE from accessing the country’s 5G network.
“If the report is true, China is very perplexed and greatly dissatisfied that the relevant German government departments made the above decision without any factual basis,” the embassy in Berlin said in a statement on Wednesday.
“China strongly opposes Germany’s generalization of the concept of national security and the abuse of state power to interfere in the market in cooperation with China, which not only violates economic laws and the principle of fair competition, but also harms others rather than benefits itself,” the statement said. .
The embassy’s remarks come after German newspaper Zeit Online reported that Berlin is preparing to ban telcos from using certain components of Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE, following similar bans from Australia, Japan, the UK and the US.
Germany’s cybersecurity agency and the interior ministry made the decision after months of scrutiny of the country’s 5G networks for potential security threats, reports Zeit Online.
Western security officials have said that Huawei and ZTE pose a threat to national security and privacy due to their close ties to Beijing, making them unsuitable to participate in next-generation communications networks.
Huawei and ZTE deny the security risk.
Germany passed a law in 2021 to tighten security standards for its next-generation networks, but avoided outright bans on Chinese firms similar to those imposed by other Western countries.
Despite growing attempts to isolate Chinese technology, Germany has become more reliant on Huawei for its 5G network, with the firm supplying nearly 60 percent of base stations and related infrastructure, according to a survey last year by telecommunications consultancy Strand Consult.
In a statement, the Chinese embassy said Germany’s plan to ban Huawei and ZTE would delay the rollout of 5G services in the country.
“The German government should carefully listen to a reasonable voice in their country,” the embassy said.
Credit: www.aljazeera.com /