Editorial | US risks paying high security price with stand on Huawei
- Without proof of spying claims Washington appears to be fighting a losing battle, and its intelligence-sharing faces further damage as more countries turn to the Chinese tech giant
Intelligence sharing on borderless terror, crime and money laundering is a two-way street that governments cannot open and close for political reasons without imperilling security. A reminder of that, with strong resonance in this region, is to be found in the latest warning from the United States against teaming up with Chinese technology leader Huawei, delivered by cybersecurity official Robert Strayer.
Speaking ahead of a cybersecurity conference between officials from 30 countries in Prague on the implementation of 5G technology, Strayer said the US would rethink connectivity and information-sharing with any nation using Huawei equipment, including allies in Southeast Asia. “Putting Huawei or any other untrustworthy vendor in any part of the 5G telecommunications network is a risk,” he said. The conference produced a blueprint that said the risk of influence on a 5G supplier by a third country should be taken into account. The obvious reference to China is consistent with American pressure on allies not to use Huawei equipment in their 5G networks.
Strayer’s remarks followed a report that Britain would use Huawei equipment in “noncore” parts of its 5G network. He made it clear that the US made no distinction between “core” and “noncore” parts. This has implications for American treaty allies in Southeast Asia already using Huawei gear and now testing its 5G equipment, such as Thailand and the Philippines. Other nations, Malaysia the latest, have flagged a willingness to use Huawei equipment.
If Southeast Asian nations buy into Huawei 5G they may be expected to become more reliant on Chinese technology, creating a potential compatibility issue with the US. In this event it is not clear how the Americans think a threat to connectivity and information-sharing would help fight terror and crime.
US claims that Huawei could spy for China have prompted some Western allies to review their dealings with it. But Washington’s pressure has had little impact in Southeast Asia, where a relatively youthful and increasingly prosperous population of more than 600 million has emerged as a key growth area in Huawei’s global web.