\nOfficials say they have no evidence of security risks linked to the Chinese technology.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
U.S. officials know Berlins attitude is crucial when it comes to setting the tone toward Huawei across Europe.<\/p>\n
As the blocs largest economy, Germanys decision on whether to restrict the Chinese company is likely to serve as a model for other European countries, many of which depend on Berlins cybersecurity expertise. It will also determine whether the U.S. campaign is as successful in Europe as it was in Australia, Japan or New Zealand, where it convinced counterparts to restrict Huawei.<\/p>\n
Against this backdrop, a lobbying battle is raging in the backrooms of Berlin over whether the company should be allowed to supply equipment for the countrys rollout of fifth generation, or 5G, telecom networks, according to almost a dozen interviews with lawmakers, diplomats, security officials and lobbyists .<\/p>\n
So far, German authorities have stopped short of voicing public concerns about Huawei. Officials say they have no evidence of security risks linked to the Chinese technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have not received any reliable information until now, neither from experts nor from other sources, which would justify an exclusion of Huawei because of security concerns,\u201d Joachim Pfeiffer, a senior member of the German parliament and the spokesperson on economic and energy policy for Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democrats, told POLITICO.<\/p>\n
The Trump factor<\/h3>\n
The fact that Trump remains deeply unpopular in Berlin plays into the debate over Huawei, causing concerns about the credibility of U.S. warnings.<\/p>\n
Pfeiffer pointed to concerns about U.S. impartiality with regard to Chinese companies.<\/p>\n
American warnings had \u201cto be considered within the big picture of the new global conflict between China and the U.S.,\u201d added Pfeiffer. Germanys challenge would be to \u201cdeal with this topic without letting either side exploit us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jens Zimmermann, a member of parliament and the digital policy spokesperson for the Social Democrats, Merkels junior coalition partner, echoed that skepticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the Obama administration, and probably also during all previous administrations, one would have taken those warnings very, very seriously and would have no reason to doubt their credibility,\u201d he told POLITICO.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the way Mr. Trump does politics poses the question to us Europeans if this isnt just another element of the economic policy Mr, Trump is pursuing?\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So far, German authorities have stopped short of voicing public concerns about Huawei | Lluis Gene\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Another complicating factor is how deeply Huawei is entrenched in Germany.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1987, Huawei pushed into Western markets in the late 1990s by undercutting the prices of its competitors.<\/p>\n
Nowhere was it as successful as in Western Europe and particularly in Germany, where it set up operations in 2001.<\/p>\n
Today, all three major telecoms companies in the country cooperate with Huawei. Tens of thousands of antenna masts scattered across Germany were manufactured by the company. Responding to questions by POLITICO, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telef\u00f3nica Deutschland all defended their ties<\/a> to the Chinese company.<\/p>\n
\nThe company \u201chas never been asked by any government to build any backdoors or interrupt any networks,\u201d a spokesperson wrote in an email.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Suggesting that restricting the use of Huawei equipment would slow down the rollout of 5G and make it more expensive, Deutsche Telekom warned that \u201cconsidering the near-term needs for extension and investment, Germany will hardly be able to afford to exclude high-performance suppliers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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