Germany’s proposal on 5G network security leaves door open for China’s Huawei, sparking criticism
- Chancellor Angela Merkel reported to have stepped in to ensure tech giant was not prohibited from pitching for contracts
- But draft rules likely to face significant resistance from lawmakers in the Bundestag, observer says
According to the paper, which is now undergoing a consultation process, telecoms providers will be obliged to obtain “proof of trustworthiness” of the equipment manufacturers and suppliers they work with.
But while there had been suggestions that Huawei, which has been accused of building “back doors” into its products that can be exploited by Beijing, might be excluded from bidding for Germany’s 5G contracts, leading business newspaper Handelsblatt reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel personally intervened to prevent such a ban.
Speaking about the proposals on Monday, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said: “We are not taking a pre-emptive decision to ban any actor, or any company.”
The news was not well received at the German foreign ministry, which had been arguing for the need to better protect national security. “Some in the foreign ministry are unhappy about it,” a European diplomatic source said.
The decision was also met with criticism in Washington.
“German security testing is insufficient by itself,” said US deputy assistant secretary of state for cyber and international communications policy Rob Strayer. “[They] need to evaluate government influence and whether a rule of law system is in place.”
Germany warns of 5G attacks by ‘nation states’ in veiled criticism of Beijing, Huawei
The White House had earlier warned Berlin that intelligence sharing with the US could be affected if Huawei, which has been banned in the US on national security grounds, was allowed to build its 5G infrastructure.
Though wary of the possible risks associated with partnering the tech giant, many European countries also fear retaliation from Beijing if they ban it altogether.
Germany’s telecoms operators, all of which are already Huawei customers, have warned that banning the Chinese company would delay the launch of 5G networks for several years and add billions of dollars to their costs.
Jan Weidenfeld, head of European affairs at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a think tank in Berlin, said the timing of the German government’s decision was unfortunate as it came just days after the European Commission warned of “state-backed” cyberattacks on 5G networks.
“Having said that, it has been clear for some time that Germany was not going to have an outright ban on Huawei,” he said.
“How those criteria put forward by the German government will be interpreted by telecoms service providers is not so much technical as political.”
EU says members can ban firms from 5G networks, but doesn’t name Huawei
Weidenfeld said that the wording of the proposal – which includes the need for a safety monitoring mechanism – suggested the government was trying to gauge the sentiment in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament.
“Don’t underestimate the level of resistance,” he said. “The Bundestag is not really convinced of this draft law at all. This is not a foregone conclusion.”
The government’s proposal also drew criticism from Norbert Röttgen, chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, who called for the creation of an administrative body to oversee 5G policy.
