The Xi Jinping government scaled up its criticism on Australia's decision to ban China's telecommunications mammoth, Huawei, as the company bids for 5G mobile phone network contracts in the land down under. In a statement, Beijing accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of upholding "double standards" which discriminates against Chinese companies.
Cited in an earlier report from Smart Company, a joint statement released last week by the Ministry for Home Affairs and Ministry for Communications and the Arts of Australia confirmed the exclusion of Huawei and another tech firm, ZTE, to take part in the country's 5G network project which is slated to kick off by next year.
As stated by the aforementioned agencies, the Australian government is aware of the likelihood that service vendors, such as Huawei and ZTE, "are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government" which may come in direct conflict with the law of the land.
There's also the possibility for a failure of delivery by the carrier to "adequately protect a 5G network from unauthorized access or interference."
Australia's wariness on the security of its telecommunications sphere could be understandable to some degree. However, as what Huawei Australia said this week, the decision is "extremely disappointing" not for the company but "for consumers."
The Chinese firm reiterates that it has "safely and securely" delivered wireless technology in the country for more than a decade and a half already, making it one of Australia's major suppliers of communications infrastructure.
Beijing Responds
Beijing responded through the state-run media outlet, People's Daily, saying that the ban of Huawei and ZTE does tell a lot about the current political situation between Australia and China.
According to a report, the editorial piece published on Tuesday said that Canberra's move to mix politics with business dealings consequently creates a "sad obstacle" that hinders cooperation between the two nations and can even "harm" their bilateral relations.
The newspaper further pointed out that Australia is showing a "strong ideological prejudice on China" and this "discriminative approach" of banning Chinese companies is a clear sign that the Coalition is "trying to politicise business operations."
Meanwhile, incoming foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, commented in light of Beijing's response to the Huawei, ZTE-ban. According to the official, the decision is "targeted and aimed at solely protecting Australia's national interests" as well as its national security, the Guardian reported.
Fifth Generation or 5G is the next iteration of cellular technology boasting high-speed network performance with very low latency.
