Should the German government decide to exclude Huawei from participation in the 5G infrastructure in Germany, China will retaliate. The Chinese ambassador to Germany has informed the Handelsblatt about this in the context of the discussion about the 5G products.
A few months ago, the German government announced that it would not take any action against Huawei, despite America’s attempts to get behind the ban on Huawei products. As a result, the Chinese manufacturer was free to supply material for the 5G network in Germany.
If the ban were to be forced, the work would be delayed by years and would cost billions of dollars, according to various experts. This was something that the Americans said should be taken for granted, since working with Huawei would mean that backdoors might be built into the system. Huawei denies this.
Economic consequences for Germany
Despite the fact that the government has announced that it will not take any action against Huawei, this does not prevent members of the government from making adjustments that would create the possibility of ‘excluding unreliable suppliers of 5G material’. A clear message to Huawei, which the Chinese ambassador (Wu Ken) in Germany does not appreciate.
“If Germany makes a decision to exclude Huawei from the German market, there will be consequences. The Chinese government will not stand by from the sidelines. Can we say one day that German cars are no longer safe because we are in a position to make our own cars? No, this is pure protection of one’s own interests’, the statement says.
Ken is referring to the large market for German cars in China: last year Germany sold an estimated seven million cars, a fact which can now be used as pressure.