
The technological Cold War that’s breaking out between the U.S. and China has exposed Europe’s awkward attempts to walk a fine diplomatic line between the two superpowers.
Super-fast 5G mobile networks are the most visible example. The EU doesn’t want to copy Donald Trump’s ban on China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. (despite his threat to curb intelligence sharing with the British unless they fall into line). But neither does Europe want to turn a blind eye to the Chinese cybersecurity threat and evidence of the country’s unfair trade practices. The continent’s leaders are trying to find their own united path. It’s an encouraging ambition, but one that’s still a long way from being realized.
We’ll have a better idea of progress at the end of June, by which time EU member states are meant to have completed the first stage of a project to beef up mobile network security across the region. The aim is to set common technical standards and for countries to work together to identify any weak links that could infect the system at large. This is meant to lay the groundwork for a single 5G “toolbox” for the bloc by the end of the year.
The EU hopes that by presenting a combined front, it will have the power to dictate the terms of trade on 5G technology with China and avoid having to rip Huawei out of existing networks or disadvantage its own consumers by ditching a key supplier.
Unfortunately, history tells us Europe is often incapable of such collaborative endeavours. The willingness of EU member states to share sensitive national security information with each other is crucial to the 5G project. Such willingness has been in short supply before, and it’s not clear this time will be much different.
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See Also:
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(2) Nigel Farage delivers STUNNING prediction on when Brexit will ‘end’ – ‘In their hands’
(3) Making Sense of the European Elections
(4) Sweden’s Self-Inflicted Mess
(5) ‘It’s bigger than Brexit now – it’s about democracy’ – Brexit Party supporters speak out