Germany considering ban on Huawei, ZTE parts in 5G networks: Report

If reports are to be believed, Germany is considering a ban on parts made by Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE in its 5G networks from as early as 2026.

Quoting government sources, news agency AFP made the claims, adding that the Chinese companies will be eliminated from the country's"core network" as part of a "de-risking" strategy.

Apart from issuing a full ban on the new parts made by Chinese companies, the German government will also extend the ban on those parts that have already been installed. It wants to start by phasing outparts made by Huawei and ZTE in Germany's "access and transport network".

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Notably, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz talked about the 'de-risking' strategy concerning China in July while publishing a 64-page document.

The contents of the documenturged the German companies to reduce their reliance on Asia's rising superpower and said the government was examining if its current toolbox was sufficient to encourage this.

"We want to reduce critical dependencies in future," said Scholz at the time, adding that many companies had already adjusted to this new worldview.

"Many companies will continue to invest heavily in China and export to China...but they will also use the opportunities they have to invest, build up supply chains and export elsewhere," Scholz added.

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Huawei, ZTE and the US

Huawei and ZTE, twoleading tech companiesfrom China, pioneering in the 5G sphere, have been unable to get going in the Western world after former US president Donald Trump started a highly animated campaign against them. Washington alleges that Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese tech behemothsclandestinely accessdata passed through its network products and send it to the Politburo offices in Beijing.

Despite pushback from most European nations, Germany has remained reluctant to take a defiant position on China. The strategy was delayed, partly because ofwrangling between the SPD and the Greens over how far to toughen the stance on China and because Beijing remains Berlin's largest trade partner.

However, thedecision to impose the proposed ban might be expedited, especially after the recent controversy surroundingGerman Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

AfterBaerbock referred to Xi as a 'dictator', the Chinese foreign ministry termed this as both "absurd" and an "open political provocation"- suggesting a bitter diplomatic standoff was currently underway.

“China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes the German side’s remarks, which are extremely absurd, a serious infringement of China’s political dignity and an open political provocation," Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said Monday (September 18).

(With inputs from agencies)

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