Huawei's fate in the UK linked to that of Donald Trump

While London must manage the upcoming exit from the country of the European Union, it must also arbitrate the future of Huawei across the Channel. Paradoxically, the future of the Chinese manufacturer today appears linked to that of Donald Trump.

British authorities are expected to make a final decision on whether to use Huawei equipment in their 5G mobile networks, which are currently being deployed in the country, soon.

This decision will, however, be played out against a backdrop of tensions with Washington, while the American administration is multiplying the modes of pressure to push London to sever all ties with the Chinese manufacturer. The American authorities have indeed strongly criticized the idea that the Shenzhen firm is so intimately involved in the deployment of the new generation British telecommunications networks and have waged a long public campaign to persuade other nations to avoid any partnership with Huawei.

However, Huawei has always denied accusations of collusion with the Chinese regime launched by Washington, which has so far provided no solid evidence to support its claims. On the London side, the question is becoming more and more burning: can we trust Huawei's equipment as part of the critical infrastructure of the United Kingdom? This is a question that intelligence and technical experts in the United Kingdom have been considering for a long time. So far, their response has been: as long as Huawei's kit is limited to the outer limits of these new 5G networks, the risk is manageable.

Expectant London

Huawei's hardware has long been used in British networks without incident, and the country of origin is not the only, or even the main factor when it comes to assessing security. Indeed, the National Cyber ​​Security Center has stated that the best way to maintain the security of UK networks is to have a wide range of providers, a position which at least implies that banning one of the providers in a market dominated by only three players is somewhat short-sighted. A conclusion which of course does not favor Washington.

What to doubt the British authorities. The British executive has long dragged its feet to make this decision. First expected in the spring of last year, it has been postponed many times. London's final decision is expected to be finalized soon, perhaps in the next few days.

However, the delicate situation of the United Kingdom, which currently manages its exit from the European Union, places the country in a delicate situation. So imagine, if London does not ban Huawei from its 5G networks, it risks offending its American ally, which has already threatened the United Kingdom to reduce the sharing of information between the two powers if by chance the Chinese manufacturer was authorized to continue to market its technology across the Channel. Conversely, if the United Kingdom decides to anger Beijing by banning Huawei, future trade relations with China could be jeopardized. In both cases, the future American elections should finally work as a justice of the peace for Huawei, whose fate today seems paradoxically linked to that of Donald Trump