According to foreign media reports, the European Union is considering forcibly prohibiting member states from using equipment from companies deemed to pose security risks in 5G networks, including Huawei in China. The Chinese side has expressed opposition to the generalization of national security concepts and the erroneous practice of excluding specific countries and enterprises.
The Financial Times quoted news that during a meeting with member state ministers on the 2nd of this month, EU internal market commissioner Breton criticized the proposal to exclude high-risk suppliers from 5G starting from 2020. However, only one-third of countries have banned Huawei from participating in key parts of the network, which poses a risk to EU collective security. Therefore, they are considering a mandatory ban. However, due to the process of legislation and the need for all member states to agree, it is expected that it will be difficult to implement the current European Commission before its term expires at the end of next year.
Currently, many European countries are reassessing their dependence on China in key telecommunications infrastructure. Portugal plans to ban Huawei devices from entering the country’s 5G network. Huawei’s response to the ban is unfair and discriminatory, violating the laws of the European Union itself, emphasizing that no court has ruled that the company is involved in acts such as intellectual property theft.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously stated that China’s position on the 5G issue is consistent and clear, and China’s participation in the 5G market cooperation among telecommunications companies from various countries, including European companies, remains open. China opposes the erroneous practice of individual countries generalizing the concept of national security, violating international trade rules, and excluding specific countries and enterprises. It hopes that European countries can also provide a fair, just, open, and non discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises.