Who’s in hysterics over Huawei?

March 08, 2019

Ernesto M. Hilario
Manila Standard

"Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has assured the public that there is
no cause for concern on Huawei’s involvement in the country’s
telecommunications industry."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for one.

After making a categorical declaration during his recent brief visit here
that the US would come to the country’s aid in the event of war in the
South China Sea under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, he also warned
that the government should keep the Chinese technology firm Huawei
at arm’s length as it poses a security risk.

“Our task has been to share with the world the risks associated with
that technology, the risks to the Filipino people, the risk to Philippine
security...We believe that competition, whether it’s in 5G or some other
technology, ought to be open, free, transparent, and we worry that
Huawei is not that,” Pompeo said.

He emphasized that while every nation must make “their own sovereign
decision” on the use of Huawei technology, the US wants to “make sure
that the world has its eyes wide open” on the risks posed by the use of
Huawei systems as the backbone of communication networks. He
pointed out that the US would not partner with countries that make use
of Huawei systems, as doing so would endanger the US.

But in the same breath, the American official also touted US

technology: “American companies are the best partners in the priorities
of infrastructure development and the digital economy because they
operate with the highest standards of transparency and adherence to
the rule of law. The same cannot be said for Chinese state-run or state-
backed enterprises.”

Now the cat is out of the bag as to the American agenda. Is that
because Huawei has already emerged as the world’s No. 1 telecom
supplier and the No. 2 smartphone maker after Samsung, dislodging the
American-owned Apple?

Could it be that strenuous American efforts to convince other countries

to stay away from patronizing Huawei smartphones and other
telecommunications technology is that Apple and other US firms are
hurting badly from the Chinese telco giant’s development of cutting-
edge 5G technology, leaving them biting the dust?

And given the Trump administration’s bloody trade war with China in
recent years, is Washington using its crackdown on Huawei to assert its
dominance as an economic and military superpower?

It appears that Washington wants to get Huawei out of the way by

invoking national security risks not just to the US but also other
countries, including the Philippines. After all, as observers have noted,
control of the critical infrastructure that runs 5G is crucial as the new
network will not only support super-fast mobile internet but will also be
the backbone behind other advanced technology like driverless cars.

Is the US hysterics over Huawei’s 5G advances working?

In July last year, Australia said it would ban Huawei from 5G rollout
amid security concerns. Later, Britain followed suit, saying it would strip
Huawei equipment from 4G network by 2021 and won’t use it in 5G
core. In February this year, the US State Department urged European
countries not to use Huawei equipment in their 5G rollouts. Last month,
Italy was also reported as pushing for a ban on Huawei 5G.
Here at home, however, US calls for the government to keep Huawei
out seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has assured the public that there is
no cause for concern on Huawei’s involvement in the country’s
telecommunications industry.

Lorenzana brushed aside the possibility of the Chinese listening in on

the country’s communication lines via the Chinese firm: “Well, that is a
cause for concern if they are already interfering in our activities. But I’m
sure the officials of the Department of Information and Communication
Technology are doing their job to secure us. The DICT has assured us
that our security is not compromised.”

The Department of Interior and Local Government is also eyeing a

partnership with Huawei and China Telecom for its 18-city, 12,000-
camera surveillance project called Safe Philippines. The P20-billion
contract with state-owned China International Telecommunication
Construction Corporation for the emergency response and monitoring
system involves tapping Huawei to provide the equipment, including
CCTV cameras. While the China-funded project has been flagged bys
senators concerned about security and privacy risks, it appears that the
project is already ready to roll.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority has also signed a

memorandum of understanding with Huawei for the development of
“smart cities” in Clark, Pampanga and Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

Huawei’s billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei and other senior executives

have given assurances that the company would not build backdoors or
hand over customer data to Beijing. Ren also said the company would
never help China spy on the United States—even if required by law.
“We never participate in espionage, and we do not allow any of our
employees to do any act like that.”

But what does Beijing think about this issue? According to Chinese
government spokesperson Zhang Yesui: “Some U.S. government officials
have been playing up the so-called security risk associated with
products of certain Chinese companies and linking it with Chinese
national intelligence law. This kind of behavior is interference in
economic activities by political means and it is against WTO (World
Trade Organization) rules. And it disrupts international market order
that is built on fair competition. This is typical double standard. It is
neither fair nor ethical.”