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BERLIN: German top officials are considering a last-ditch attempt to convince the government to exclude Chinese companies like Huawei from building the country's 5G infrastructure, fearing that this would jeopardize national security.
The push backstage in Berlin, which follows the decisions of Australia and the United States to ban Chinese suppliers of 5G, appeared late. Germany is expected to start its auctions of 5G early 2019.
Because of this momentum, officials, who spoke to Reuters under the guise of anonymity, said it was not clear if the initiative would succeed.
This push highlights the importance of some Berlin ministries' concerns about China's role in building Germany's mobile network, despite the lack of a lively public debate on the 5G dimensions of of security.
"There is a serious concern. If it were up to me, we would do what the Australians do, "a senior German official told Reuters in the 5G internal debate in Berlin.
Officials from Germany's foreign and interior ministries, who spoke with their counterparts in the United States and Australia, raised concerns about the risks of using Chinese suppliers such as Huawei, the largest manufacturer telecommunications equipment to the world.
They insist on a more serious discussion on 5G before the start of the auction process, said the senior official. Some officials have suggested that this could cause a delay.
Opposition parties are also backing down. Last week, the Greens tabled a motion in Parliament that challenged the government's position that it had no legal basis to exclude some suppliers from the deployment of 5G.
"Excluding all investors from a given country is a bad approach," Katharina Droege, a Greens legislator who co-wrote the Bundestag's motion, told Reuters. "But we need to be able to look at individual cases to make sure our critical infrastructure is protected. This could result in the exclusion of Chinese companies from the construction of our 5G infrastructure. "
Until now, the public debate in Germany on 5G has focused on the extent of coverage of the next generation mobile network rather than on security issues.
Current coverage is patchy and, combined with delays in the construction of broadband internet, has been criticized by business groups as a handicap in the digital age.
Law of intelligence
Security concerns are articulated around the Chinese Intelligence Law, approved in 2017, which states that "Chinese organizations and citizens must, in accordance with the law, support intelligence activities at the national level, cooperate with them and collaborate with them. "
This has raised fears that the Chinese government is asking Huawei to incorporate "back doors" to its equipment allowing access to Beijing for the purpose of espionage or sabotage.
Some experts also see a risk that Chinese intelligence will develop a capacity to subvert Huawei's hardware.
In response to Reuters' story, a spokesman for Huawei said the company rejected any suggestion that it could pose a threat to national security.
"Cybersecurity has always been our top priority and we have a proven track record in providing secure products and solutions to our customers in Germany and around the world," said the spokesperson.
Huawei called Australia's decision in August to ban the ban on 5G on the "policy-driven" model and based on a "misguided and narrow understanding" of Chinese law. He pointed out that it was a private company that had no official connection with the Chinese government.
Last week, after the Australian newspaper published an article claiming that Chinese intelligence services had used Huawei employees to obtain access codes to infiltrate a foreign network, the company had denied having already provided or invited to provide client information to a government or organization. ".
Huawei has been a partner of Deutsche Telekom and other operators in Germany for years, establishing a significant presence in the German market.
In recent months, many German politicians – from the Bundestag as well as state and local governments – have come to its headquarters in Shenzhen as part of the company's ambitious lobbying efforts.
"Following Australia's decision to exclude the Chinese from their 5G network, Huawei is extremely worried," said a senior industry official who requested anonymity because the sensitivity of the problem.
"They fear a domino effect. If it stops in Australia, it 's not that bad. But if it continues, it's serious. A decline in 5G in Germany could have repercussions in Europe. "
Growing concern
The debate in Germany comes at a time when China's investments and influence in Europe are of growing concern. Berlin is tightening its rules on foreign takeover bids to prevent Chinese rivals from taking over German technology companies.
At the same time, the European Commission launched a debate on strategic autonomy, saying Europe should be careful not to become too dependent on the United States or China in the digital age. .
But excluding Huawei and other Chinese companies such as ZTE is not a simple task. Huawei is a global leader in 5G and its technology is among the most advanced and least expensive in the world. European alternatives include Ericsson and Nokia.
"If your strategic debate on autonomy ends your debate, it's that as a state, you have to control everything, it will cost a lot of money," said Paul. Timmers, research fellow at Oxford University and former director of cybersecurity at the European Commission. digital direction. "You have to wonder if this is realistic and if you can afford it."
Some officials in Berlin, Washington, and Canberra have also expressed concerns about whether the fragile German coalition government was strong enough and forward thinking to make an important decision, such as banning Chinese companies from 5G – a move that could have major consequences for relations between Germany and China.
"I'm worried about that. It may be too late, "said a second senior German official, recognizing that business interests, rather than strategic factors, have guided German policy on these issues for decades. (Writing by Noah Barkin Additional Report by Douglas
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