My Take | Huawei just another transaction to Trump
- In changing his approach to deals with the Chinese tech giant, which he has portrayed as a global 5G bogeyman, the US president betrays his lack of core beliefs
Once may be a gaffe. A second time sounds deliberate. A third time amounts to a pattern. I am counting the number of times Donald Trump has inadvertently made it clear that Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is not the global 5G bogeyman the Americans have made it out to be, but a convenient pawn in the US economic war against China.
While he was enjoying a lavish state visit in London, the United States president met outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May during which Huawei was discussed.
He subsequently told reporters that he would have “no problem” with a plan by the British government to allow Huawei a limited role in developing Britain’s next-generation 5G networks. In fact, the taxpayer-funded BBC recently made its first broadcast with 5G using Huawei gear.
“No, because we are going to have absolutely an agreement on Huawei and anything else,” he said.
This was despite Mike Pompeo, his secretary of state, warning allies that America would not fully share intelligence with any foreign government that used Huawei equipment.
Does Trump’s reassurance to Britain mean the other members of the “Five Eyes” English-speaking spying collective – Canada, Australia and New Zealand – will be free to use Huawei as well?