By blaming China for all its ills, the West cannot hide its weakness

Following the United States and Australia, Japan is mulling banning Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE from participating in its 5G network on the grounds of national security. The Japanese government, as the Sankei Shimbun said, would adopt strict security criteria that would effectively keep the two companies out of its 5G network.

Earlier, Australia issued a security guidance statement, saying companies that were “likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government” could present a security risk. Without singling out Huawei and ZTE, the statement effectively banned the two Chinese telecom giants from Australia’s next-generation telecom infrastructure.

The US, on the other hand, has banned the use of Huawei and ZTE hardware, including networking equipment and smartphones, in public-sector information and communications technology systems, and is pressuring major US telecom enterprises not to use the two Chinese companies’ hardware in their networks.

In an open letter, Huawei said Australia’s ban is politically motivated and not based on facts or “equitable decision making”.

As such, Huawei and ZTE are the victims of the West’s conspiracy theory.

The West suspects China is using the Belt and Road Initiative to dominate the next wave of wireless technology and become the global leader in 5G network development.

If Beijing could give assurances of market access to European and Asian companies, it might find suitable substitutes for US technology, wrote Alex Capri, a senior fellow at the Business School of National University of Singapore, in Nikkei Asian Review. “A consensus has emerged in the West that any dependence on Chinese digital infrastructure will open the door to cyberattacks and espionage,” he added.