London/Berlin
CNN
—
Germany will phase out components made by China’s Huawei and ZTE from its 5G wireless networks over the next five years, a move that risks further worsening already tense ties with the world’s second-largest economy.
Mobile network operators including Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica have agreed to remove components from their 5G “core networks”, which are connected to the internet and act as control centers, by the end of 2026.
By the end of 2029, these components should also be removed from the “access and transport network”, which includes the physical parts of the 5G network such as transmission lines and towers.
“In this way we are protecting Germany’s central nervous system as a business location and the communications of its citizens, companies and state,” Interior Minister Nancy Faser said in a statement on Thursday. “We must reduce security risks and, unlike in the past, avoid one-sided dependency.”
In the same statement, the German government stressed the importance of a “secure and resilient communications infrastructure” given the “risk of sabotage and espionage.”
“You must rely on trusted manufacturers to avoid significant vulnerabilities and dependencies,” he added.
Huawei said in a statement to CNN that it has “no concrete evidence or scenarios” that its technology poses a cybersecurity risk. The company added that it will “continue to work constructively and openly with customers and partners to promote improvements and progress in cybersecurity, and advance the construction and digitalization of mobile networks in Germany.”
CNN has reached out to ZTE for comment but was unable to get in touch.
China’s embassy in Germany promised on Thursday to take “necessary measures” to safeguard the interests of Chinese companies.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Germany’s move “seriously undermines bilateral trust and will affect future cooperation between China and Europe in relevant areas.”
The decision could further strain Germany’s relations with China, Germany’s largest trading partner. Last week, the German government blocked the sale of a Volkswagen subsidiary to a Chinese state-owned company on national security grounds, drawing criticism from Beijing. China is also embroiled in a trade dispute with the European Union, which last month raised tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
“Politicizing economic, trade and technological issues will only hinder normal technological exchanges,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
Germany had held off for years on using Huawei parts in its 5G networks after the United States, Britain, Australia and Japan effectively banned the company from building them, citing fears the Chinese government could use the Chinese tech company to spy on its citizens.
The United States placed Huawei on a trade restrictions list in 2019, making it harder for the company to obtain semiconductor chips from American suppliers. Those restrictions were further tightened earlier this year.
Europe, the Middle East and Africa accounted for 21% of Huawei’s revenue last year, according to the company’s annual report.
