Damages trust

5G ban for China “blatant discrimination”

Components from Chinese providers Huawei and ZTE are to be largely banned from the German 5G network.

(Bild: AFP)

China's embassy in Berlin believes that the government's decision to exclude Huawei and ZTE from the 5G network has damaged trust in cooperation with Germany. The move is "blatant political discrimination", according to the embassy. 

The fact that the measure was announced during the NATO summit in Washington, which was taking place at the same time, casts doubt on the independence of China's decision. The previous day, Beijing had accused NATO of spreading false information created by the USA in order to blacken China and thus undermine the People's Republic's relations with Europe.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had confirmed that technology from China should largely disappear from German mobile networks. Government representatives and mobile phone companies had agreed on a compromise in the long-standing dispute over the phasing out of components from Chinese providers Huawei and ZTE.

China demands proof
The companies from the Far East have complied with the laws in Germany for years and have made a positive contribution to digitalization, the Chinese embassy explained. Risks to network security are an excuse. So far, no country has been able to provide conclusive evidence that Chinese equipment poses a security risk, it added.