The United States grievance in the use of Chinese techs because of claims of espionage stirs the economic cooperation of some European nations with China and the United States itself. The competition between the two great nations place countries like the Czech Republic at the center of a geopolitical tug-of-war between them.
United States President Donald Trump actively opposes the use of Chinese techs in the technological developments of a nation especially its allies. The Trump administration claims that Chinese techs use backdoor software that transmits critical trade and security data to the Chinese government. Last year, the president called for the boycott of China's Huawei products. The administration ordered its allies not to use the 5G infrastructures of Huawei in their network developments. Trump threatened sanctions for those who will adopt the technology.
The stand of the European nations is divided when it comes to the use of Huawei's tech. The Czech Republic, with deep economic cooperation with China since 2016, currently doubts whether to follow the United States ultimatum and delay its 5G network development or to choose to side with China and speed up its technological development.
According to Martin Hala, the Director of Project Synopsis which is a Prague-based think tank in Chinese relations, the Czech Republic and many other countries are now sitting in two chairs that are pulling apart. He added that the schizophrenic position when one part of the political establishment is looking east and the other west, will eventually need a resolution which is something will have to give.
China is the leading nation in terms of the development of the 5G network, a fifth-generation wireless technology, which is expected to transform the entire industry and economy of any nation. United States' 5G network is way behind China. The Chinese Firm believes that the pressure brought to them by the United States is its attempt to eliminate them from the competition in the market.
The competition in Europe in regards to Huawei's tech is stark. Britain authorities believe that the risks presented by Huawei are manageable while Germany plans to impose tougher control of the company. Hungary and Slovakia are open in doing business with Huawei, seeing the company, not as a threat but a possibility. In Poland, an employee of Huawei was arrested in January because of allegations of spying. Mike Pompeo, the United States Secretary, visited Europe in February to warn the Europeans about China plan to divide west by targeting Central Europe. Huawei's sales increased globally despite the intervention of the United States in its operations.
