The 5G war between the US and China has just entered a new phase: the US aggressively entices allies, countries massively receive incentives

Tram Ho

US foreign affairs agencies are holding workshops and developing a handbook that can help policymakers in regions such as Central and Eastern Europe and in developing countries build mobile networks next-generation 5G operation without using equipment from Huawei Technologies and China’s ZTE Corporation.

US officials said they also plan to hold training courses for foreign politicians, regulators and academics to oversee the rollout of 5G networks in these countries in the near future. Leading this initiative is the Trade Law Development Program, chaired by the U.S. Department of Commerce, whose mission is to advance U.S. foreign policy by collaborating directly with foreign governments on technical issues. legal and technical.

Cuộc chiến 5G giữa Mỹ và Trung Quốc vừa bước sang giai đoạn mới: Mỹ ráo riết lôi kéo đồng minh, các nước ồ ạt nhận ưu đãi - Ảnh 1.

To help with the training, US officials say they are putting together a reference book that includes case studies on how US allies like Britain have implemented restrictions on telecommunications equipment. communication of China.

The Group of Seven Industrialized Countries (G7) has announced a new global infrastructure initiative called “Build Back Better World” (BBBW). The Biden administration has positioned it as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road initiative, which is an initiative to mobilize Chinese investment in infrastructure projects around the world. gender. While not part of the G7 agenda over the weekend, Washington’s new incentives to limit Chinese telecommunications equipment underscore the United States’ particular focus on the industry. telecommunication.

“The Biden-Harris administration considers 5G security a top priority,” said Stephen Anderson, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for oversight of telecoms and technology outreach efforts. He said US experts will advise countries on the cost, regulatory, and cybersecurity considerations needed to build a 5G network platform in an effort to prevent these countries from using them. using equipment from Huawei as well as other Chinese firms.

The United States considers such devices a security threat. Huawei and other Chinese manufacturers say they are not subject to Chinese government regulations and will not use their devices for spying purposes.

Meanwhile, a large bipartisan group in the US Congress is supporting a bill proposed last month that would allow Central and Eastern European countries to receive special US foreign aid to purchase telecommunications equipment that is not available. originating from China.

From “stick” to “carrot”

These efforts represent a new phase in a protracted US campaign to discourage its allies abroad from using Chinese telecommunications equipment. Washington began the campaign a few years ago by mainly “holding a stick” of threats – warning allies that it would limit intelligence sharing with countries that use Huawei equipment. However, the results of this effort have been limited: for example, Germany has so far refused to ban the use of Huawei equipment. Other allies such as Britain have moved to restrict equipment from China.

Cuộc chiến 5G giữa Mỹ và Trung Quốc vừa bước sang giai đoạn mới: Mỹ ráo riết lôi kéo đồng minh, các nước ồ ạt nhận ưu đãi - Ảnh 2.

Now, Washington is making “carrot” offers in the form of loans and training courses to encourage countries to stay away from Huawei and other Chinese suppliers. Executives from telecommunications groups, as well as officials in the United States and its allies, say Chinese equipment is often cheaper than comparable equipment from Huawei competitors such as Ericsson AB and Nokia.

US officials and lawmakers say cybersecurity is important in 5G because the technology is expected to be embedded in so many industries and sensitive equipment, such as production lines. automatic or internet-connected heart rate monitor.

At the end of the Trump administration last fall, US agencies began pushing to provide loans to developing countries so that they could buy equipment from equipment suppliers. priority telecommunications such as Ericsson of Sweden, Nokia of Finland and Samsung Electronics of South Korea. The initiative marked a victory in Ethiopia last month, when a US-backed consortium beat a Beijing-funded rival to build a new nationwide wireless network. Washington has loaned the country up to $500 million.

Historically, such lending by the United States has been restricted by law to developing countries. The law is designed to limit funding that countries in Central and Eastern Europe cannot access. These countries are poorer than many of the world’s most advanced economies, but they are still considered rich enough to fall outside the developing world.

But the US Congress has introduced a number of recent exemptions, including for energy projects. A new US agency, the World Development Finance Agency, last year approved a $300 million investment in the Three Seas Initiative, a fund that invests in energy and infrastructure in 12 Central and Eastern European countries.

Cuộc chiến 5G giữa Mỹ và Trung Quốc vừa bước sang giai đoạn mới: Mỹ ráo riết lôi kéo đồng minh, các nước ồ ạt nhận ưu đãi - Ảnh 3.

The bipartisan bill passed in Congress would also grant immunity to telecommunications projects. Representative Marcy Kaptur, an Ohio Democrat, proposed the bill last month. It would grant Central and Eastern European countries immunity from receiving US foreign aid to purchase telecommunications equipment that does not originate in China.

Many Central and Eastern European countries, including Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic states, have been quick to adopt the US stance against Huawei. Many countries also see strong military ties with the United States as a key factor after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014.

Many countries are also suspicious of China. In 2019, Poland jailed a Huawei executive on espionage charges, while the governments of the Baltic states and Romania took steps to restrict the use of Huawei equipment in the country. his family. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has asked China to replace its current ambassador to his country, after a series of controversial comments about Huawei’s role in the country.

However, the Chinese government also has partners in the region, notably Hungary, where Huawei has just built a new research center in Budapest. Huawei opened a similar center in Serbia last year. A number of countries have also signed up to participate in Beijing’s Belt and Road program, in which they are largely financed by Chinese government-backed organizations, building roads, etc. highways, ports and other infrastructure.

Consult the Wall Street Journal

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Source : Genk