TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Friday, Apr 19, 2024

German minister and US envoy clash over Huawei’s possible participation in Germany’s 5G network

German minister and US envoy clash over Huawei’s possible participation in Germany’s 5G network

Economic minister Peter Altmaier says risk of Huawei transmitting data to Chinese intelligence agencies is no greater than what ‘unreliable’ US has already done. US ambassador Richard Grenell calls comparison ‘an insult’ to Americans ‘who contribute to the security of Germany’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing more criticism for her Huawei Technologies-friendly approach to 5G development, as the American ambassador to Germany called her economic minister’s remarks on cybersecurity an “insult” to the US.

The latest rift emerged as the minister, Peter Altmaier, one of Merkel’s few allies on her 5G approach, on Sunday compared concerns over potential spying by the Chinese government to previous phone-tapping by the “unreliable” US government.

Merkel has for months been fending off pressure from the US, her own party and the German parliament to ban Huawei as a candidate to build Germany’s next-generation mobile network systems.

The German government is concerned that banning Huawei could result in retribution from the Chinese government against the lucrative German auto industry.

The German government is concerned that banning Huawei could result in retribution from the Chinese government against the lucrative German auto industry.

Over the weekend, Altmeier commented on concerns that Huawei would be subject to China’s laws that could require the company to hand over data from its communications networks to Chinese intelligence agencies. “The US also requires its companies to provide certain information needed to fight terrorism,” he said.

He went on to say that Germany did not boycott American products after disclosures that the US National Security Agency had tapped Merkel’s phones in 2015.

“I recall during the NSA affair, when I was chief of staff [of Merkel], how you continuously investigated how unreliable and untrustworthy the US government was, and we didn’t impose a boycott then either,” he told the German political journalist Anne Will on her TV talk show.

Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, complained on Monday about Altmaier’s parallel between alleged Chinese and US spying.

“There is no moral equivalency between China and the United States and anyone suggesting it ignores history – and is bound to repeat it,” Grenell said in a statement.

“The recent statements of high-ranking members of the German government that the US is comparable to the Communist Party of China are an insult to the thousands of American servicemen and women who contribute to the security of Germany,” Grenell said, according to the German news magazine Der Spiegel.

Merkel, who has not commented on Grenell’s remarks, is eager to upgrade Germany's digital infrastructure but has been criticised for her lack of regard for Huawei's alleged links to China.

The German government’s plan is to provide high-speed coverage to 98 per cent of households by 2022, but it has lagged in deciding what companies should be involved in the development of the network.

On Saturday, Merkel’s own Christian Democratic Union party agreed that the German parliament should debate and decide on Huawei’s involvement in building Germany’s 5G network.

Thorsten Benner, director of the Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute, called Merkel’s approach to Huawei “extremely stubborn and misguided”.

While she was right to take into account the potential damage to the auto sector, Benner said, it would send a “disastrous signal” to China by accommodating Huawei in Germany’s 5G development.

“The question is whether she will come around and be forced by parliament to [let it] determine the rules of the game,” he said.
Last week, China’s ambassador to Germany, Wu Ken, said that, if Huawei was excluded, it would amount to blatant discrimination against Chinese companies and would send the wrong signal of protectionism.

“If Huawei really were a threat to Germany's network security, why isn't there any single negative case so far? Why is there so much hype only when it comes to 5G construction?” Wu said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×