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While the United States is pushing the West to dissuade Huawei from fearing for its safety, the Chinese tech giant has sought to strengthen its position in Africa, where it is already well established.
Huawei has played a leading role in the development of next-generation 5G mobile phone networks around the world.
But he has been in turmoil ever since Washington accused its equipment of being a Trojan horse to the Chinese intelligence services.
The world's second smartphone scorer fiercely denies the allegations, but the United States urged countries to avoid them and several companies have distanced themselves.
Among them, Google, whose Android operating system uses most smartphones.
And as Washington and Beijing emerge in a growing trade war, countries around the world are faced with the dilemma of having to choose between the two largest economies in the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a weigh-in on Friday, thwarting Washington's attempt to "push Huawei" out of the global market. Earlier this week, Russian telecommunications giant MTS signed an agreement with Huawei to develop a 5G network in the country.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, a guest of Putin at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, said China was "ready to share technological inventions with all partners, especially 5G technology."
But will the escalation of the war force African countries to choose between China – the main trading partner of the continent – and the United States?
"For African countries, this trade war may well be a binary choice, and it will be very difficult for Africa to ignore it," said Aly-Khan Satchu, an independent economic badyst based in Nairobi.
"Very aggressive strategy"
Huawei, now playing a major role in US-China tensions, is seeking to strengthen its ties in Africa. Last week, he signed an agreement aimed at strengthening his cooperation with the African Union.
"It was a way to show that Huawei was still present in Africa and that they wanted to remain a major player by positioning themselves in this very important and growing sector," said Ruben Nizard, an economist and specialist in Africa. sub-Saharan in the French financial society. Coface service company.
The agreement comes after the French newspaper Le Monde, in 2018, announced that China had spied on the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, citing internal sources in the city of Addis Ababa. organization.
The report says that espionage began in 2012 after the completion of the new AU headquarters funded by China. It was only noticed when technicians discovered that data on the building's servers were being sent to Shanghai.
China and AU reject the allegations.
Huawei has been established throughout Africa since its launch in Kenya in 1998 and is now present in 40 countries, providing 4G networks to more than half of the continent.
It will also feature 5G – the next-generation mobile phone network that will transmit data at much higher speeds – in Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, which runs from June 21 to July 19.
"Africa is a market that Huawei has identified and that it has conquered through a very aggressive strategy based on inexpensive financing and speed of execution," Satchu said. ; AFP.
"The fact that Huawei has equipped the AU says a lot," he added.
& # 39; Big Brother Beijing & # 39;
Huawei's presence in Africa goes far beyond selling smartphones and building mobile networks.
In South Africa, it provides training in the best universities in the country and this year launches a specialized course on 5G.
The Kenyan government signed in April a contract with Huawei of 17.5 billion shillings ($ 172 million) for the construction of a data center and services of "smart city".
The Chinese giant also offers a surveillance program "Safe City".
According to the firm's website, this initiative "can prevent crimes targeting the normal citizen, tourists, students, the elderly, etc. before they happen."
It has been deployed in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and Mauritius, with 4,000 "smart" video surveillance cameras installed at 2,000 sites across the island nation of the Indian Ocean.
Some media in Mauritius have condemned the system of "digital dictatorship" of "Big Brother Beijing".
But Ghana's Minister of Security Albert Kan-Dapaah says Huawei's video surveillance technology is helping to catch criminals.
"When a crime is committed, thanks to the cameras, we work magically," says Kan-Dapaah in a promotional video for the Chinese firm.
Huawei Marine, the company's submarine cable arm, is helping to deploy a 12,000-kilometer (7,450-mile) key cable system connecting Africa to Asia.
If Huawei is so deeply rooted in Africa, the continent may have a hard time avoiding becoming a collateral victim of the crisis between the United States and China.
"Africa is facing a trade war in which they should not have to participate because they have nothing to gain," Nizard said.
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