The Chinese Embassy in Germany on Thursday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to Germany’s decision to gradually remove Chinese telecom components from its 5G networks.
Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior announced the decision on Thursday, citing so-called security risks associated with the use of equipment from Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE.
In a statement, the Chinese embassy stated that the decision is based on groundless accusations. It emphasized that Chinese companies, including Huawei and ZTE, have long operated in Germany in compliance with laws and regulations, making positive contributions to Germany’s digitization process.
The embassy argued that the alleged “network security risks” are merely an excuse by certain countries to maintain technological hegemony and suppress competitors. It added that there is no evidence indicating that these Chinese companies pose a danger to any country.
Highlighting China’s open attitude towards European companies like Nokia and Ericsson in its own 5G infrastructure development, the statement warned that Germany’s move could severely damage mutual trust and affect future China-EU cooperation in relevant fields.
“Whether Germany can handle this issue fairly and justly will be a touchstone for its own business environment,” the embassy stated.
The statement emphasized that Germany and the European side should not demand fair competitiveness on one hand while imposing discriminatory policies upon companies from other countries based on unfounded accusations on the other.
China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese companies, the statement concluded.
Reference(s):
China opposes Germany's decision to ban Chinese 5G network components
cgtn.com
