National security US tool against Huawei: China Daily editorial

What does national security mean when it comes to the United States and China's telecommunications giant Huawei?

It means a basket into which US politicians, including top officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others, can throw groundless accusations against the Chinese firm.

Then they pick up what has been stacked in the basket in a bid to try and persuade its allies from cooperating with the Chinese firm in the development of their 5G networks.

In the latest development, Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber, international communications and information policy at the US State Department, told European Union countries that they had no reason to use 5G mobile technology from Huawei because Sweden's Ericsson, Finland's Nokia and the Republic of Korea's Samsung were on a par with the Chinese company in this field. This senior diplomat currently on a visit to Lisbon said that it was necessary to demystify the notion that Huawei is more advanced in 5G.

This is something new the US has thrown into the basket. Usually the line it has peddled is China is a communist country and even though it is a private company Huawei could be manipulated to conduct espionage activities.

Strayer also toed that line saying, "There is no way to fully mitigate any type of risk except the use of trusted vendors from democratic countries."

The paradox is what the senior diplomat said betrays the fact that all the narratives by US politicians about the national security risk posed by Huawei's technology and threats are anything but the truth. They are fabricated in order to drive the Chinese company out of business.

The condescending manner in which the US diplomats and officials treat the US' EU allies on the question of Huawei reveals not only its dishonesty but also its disrespect for its allies.

Its allies are treated as naive idiots who do not have any awareness about the risks using Huawei's technology and equipment for their 5G networks poses to their national security.

That may explain why some major EU countries, despite the increasing pressure they are under from the US, have decided to leave some room for cooperation with Huawei in the development of their 5G networks.

They know what the US is doing when it claims Huawei threatens their national security. They do not want to be puppets that are manipulated by the US.

They have cooperated with Huawei for years and know for themselves whether Huawei is a threat to their national security or an honest business partner that can provide cost-efficient advanced technology and equipment. We wonder what else the US will throw into the basket of national security in its stigmatization of Huawei.