Chinese diplomat’s challenge to Nancy Pelosi signals concerted fightback, starting with Huawei

Speaking at Munich Security Conference, Fu Ying asked whether one company could threaten an entire country

Beijing emphasises countering US pressure on 5G, and national unity as it battles coronavirus, rather than the Belt and Road Initiative

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Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, was challenged on the Huawei issue at the Munich Security Conference. Photo: DPA

Published: 11:20pm, 16 Feb 2020Updated: 11:19pm, 16 Feb 2020

Fu Ying’s fame as one of China’s most successful female diplomats may have faded since she left foreign service a decade ago, but on Friday the 67-year-old found herself in the public spotlight yet again.

Rising from the audience of the Munich Security Conference, the chairwoman of the foreign affairs committee of China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress, posed a question directly to Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives and one of the most vocal critics of China’s human rights records.

“China, since its reform started 40 years ago, has introduced all kinds of Western technologies … and China has maintained its political system. It is not threatened by these technologies,” Fu said. “How, if Huawei’s technology with 5G is introduced into Western countries, will it threaten the political system? Do you really think that the democratic system is so fragile that it could be threatened by this single hi-tech company of Huawei?”

The unusual direct exchange between a Chinese diplomat and one of the United States’ best-known politicians underscores the active and calculated presence of China in the Bavarian capital, as it tries to counter mistrust from European and US policymakers, most pointedly over 5G mobile technology.

Previously, when serving as China’s ambassador to Britain, Fu led the condemnation of pro-Tibet protests that repeatedly disrupted the global torch relay preceding the 2008 Beijing Olympics.