Huawei victim of US panic attacks: China Daily editorial

This year has not been an annus mirabilis for China's Huawei Technologies Ltd, the world's largest supplier of telecommunications network equipment and second-biggest maker of smartphones.

Although it has been constantly in the news and it is said there is no such thing as bad publicity, it has been making headlines because of the spurious claims it somehow poses a threat to the West, even world peace. It has never been explained exactly how.

In fact it is not because of anything it has done, but because its success has brought it into the crosshairs of the United States' anxiety attacks against China.

Huawei is at the forefront of 5G technology. This latest generation mobile network technology promises to bring the much anticipated and heralded internet of things to life and the US is determined to be the 5G leader.

Not only because whichever country develops the technology that is adopted as standard will have a huge commercial advantage. But also because by setting the standard it will have a knowledge advantage.

As a result, first the US and then one after another its most obedient allies have blocked Huawei from entering their 5G markets on security grounds.

None of them have offered any specific justification for blocking Huawei. They just repeat their claim that the company poses a security risk. That is why objective observers have concluded that those countries are politicizing a commercial issue.

It sets a harmful precedent. What if other countries used the same excuse to block US companies (not confined to the telecom sector)? The US companies are very competitive in many fields, including those that could pose huge security risks, such as finance.

While Huawei will not go unscathed from being prevented from entering key markets, as a competitive player, it still has a vast market to access in other parts of the world. It has signed contracts to supply 5G equipment to 25 telecom carriers, and more than 10,000 5G base stations have been shipped.

In stark contrast to the US and its allies, India for instance, has invited Huawei to conduct 5G trials in the country and complimented it on the role it has played in helping to develop its telecom industry.

The efforts of the US and its allies to try to shield their companies against a Chinese competitor are politically motivated, not the result of a fact-based or transparent decision-making process. And they are counterproductive to the concerted efforts that are needed to ensure the security of 5G networks.