The Chinese Embassy in Germany has expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to Germany’s decision to phase out Chinese telecommunications components from its 5G networks.
The German Federal Ministry of the Interior announced the decision on Thursday, citing so-called security risks.
The Chinese embassy said in a statement that such a decision is based on baseless allegations, as Chinese companies, including Huawei and ZTE, have long operated in Germany in accordance with laws and regulations, contributing positively to Germany’s digitalization process.
So-called “network security risks” are just a pretext for some countries to maintain technological hegemony and suppress competitors, she said, adding that there is no evidence to suggest that these Chinese companies pose a danger to any country.
As China has always maintained an open stance towards European companies such as Nokia and Ericsson in its own 5G construction, the statement said the German move would seriously undermine mutual trust and affect future cooperation between China and the EU in relevant fields.
“Whether Germany can resolve this issue fairly and equitably will be a touchstone for its own business environment,” the statement said.
Germany and the European side should not, on the one hand, demand fair competitiveness, but on the other, apply a discriminatory policy against companies from another country based on unfounded accusations, she emphasized.
China will take the necessary measures to protect the legitimate interests of Chinese companies, it concluded.
