Losing argument over Huawei, U.S. threatens Germany

Editor's note:Tom Fowdy, who graduated from Oxford University's China Studies Program and majored in politics at the Durham University, writes about international relations focusing on China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The article reflects the author's views, and not necessarily those of APD.

United States ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell wrote to Germany requesting that it ban Huawei's participation in the country's 5G network, or be excluded from future intelligence sharing cooperation with Washington.

The move comes after recent comments from the German government played down the alleged espionage threat. Grenell's remarks mark a significant escalation in America's stance toward allies who are willing to use the company in upgrading their telecommunications networks.

If the threat of Huawei is so real and so serious, then why is Washington now resorting to outright coercion to those who refuse to obey its marching orders?

Whilst such coercive tactics are common from the Donald Trump administration, the fact that the United States cannot even persuade most of its allies on the matter of Huawei indicates that it is, in fact, losing the argument.

It, in turn, is resorting to more aggressive tactics to push forward its true motivation, that is not security concerns, but to ultimately curtail China's technological competitiveness from leading markets in the world.

An interior view of Huawei's headquarter in Shenzhen, China, March 6, 2019. /VCG Photo

The Trump administration is possibly the most coercive American premiership in the country's contemporary history. No longer does Washington follow the norms of basic diplomatic decency, empathy, and consideration, but it simply threatens everything and everyone that does not align with its unilateral will, friend or foe alike.

This has resulted in an aggressive approach toward Europe. The United States helped to build and consolidate the post-1945 political order on the continent, something which achieved unprecedented stability and prosperity.

Yet, in pursuance of Trump's own goals, he is content to dismantle this order as he threatens it regularly with a barrel of tariffs, sanctions and even the termination of military alliances if the continent does not serve his interests.

The popularity of America in Germany has, in fact, crashed to an all-time low. Now, the newest spat is turning toward Huawei. Despite what the media claim, the overwhelming majority of the world have dismissed Washington's fierce lobbying to ban the company from participating in their 5G networks.

Why are countries dismissing it? The reason is simple – the claims are exaggerated and politically motivated. Washington's claims are not built upon a sincere concern for the security of others but have a protectionist goal of containing China's global technological advances and keeping the country at the bottom of global supply chains.

Most governments, in fact, recognize that, seeing the claims as over-hyped and geopolitically driven. To ban Huawei is a decision which suits Washington more than themselves, coming at a financial and developmental expense of the country banning it.

On these grounds, Germany has been hesitant to heed Trump's call. As the saga unfolded, they repeatedly noted that if there is a security threat, there must be serious evidence for it. If they were to ban it, it would have to be a decision that was empirical, rational and in their best interests, not purely to serve Washington's aims.

Huawei launches its new Mate X smartphone with folding screen and 5G technology at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, February 27, 2019. /VCG Photo‍

Thus, when the United Kingdom's security report hinted that a ban was unnecessary and the company only a “manageable risk,” Germany tilted against doing so. This assessment would ultimately mark a turning point and see the U.S.' anti-Huawei campaign lose momentum, with more questions now being asked in the mainstream about its political motivations.

Thus, as fearmongering diplomacy has proved futile, the United States is now leveraging all that it has left, namely coercion. With Washington threatening Germany outright with an end to intelligence sharing if it does not follow through with a ban, it believes that, in a similar pattern to the Iran deal, it can force Berlin to capitulate to following its terms.

How Germany will respond to this challenge remains unclear, although it is not likely to make major security decisions for itself purely to serve America's unilateral interests. Regardless, the move will ultimately only serve to further hurt transatlantic ties and deepen the poor image the administration is facilitating within that country, with many Germans already believing that the United States is no longer committed to the “postwar liberal order.”

In summary, beyond Germany, America's resort to coercion over Huawei is an explicit indication that on this subject, it is losing the argument.

If it cannot successfully convince even a meaningful number of countries that the firm is a security threat, then the turn toward aggressive tactics abruptly reveals the effort for what it really is, a self-interested and geopolitically motivated crusade that serves strictly unilateral, ratherthan multilateral, purposes.

Joining growing tensions over Iran and the NATO, it is just one of the many collision courses it has placed itself on against Berlin, none of which are based on redeemable logic, honesty or goodwill for that matter.

(CGTN)