Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Ex-Diplomat Reveals How Trump Administration Managed to Persuade EU States to Ditch Huawei's 5G

Ex-Diplomat Reveals How Trump Administration Managed to Persuade EU States to Ditch Huawei's 5G

Despite the initial backlash over Washington's pressure on European allies to abandon the 5G equipment manufactured by the Chinese tech giant, many European states eventually adopted laws or issued orders that either limited its use or banned it outright.

When the Trump administration started its crackdown against Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei, one of its main foreign policy lanes focused on persuading allies and other countries that the equipment poses a national cybersecurity threat and that they must ditch it when building 5G networks, necessary for the next generation of high-tech equipment, from smart houses and self-driving cars to surgical procedures being conducted by a robot being guided by a doctor thousands of miles away.

Washington's original push was focused on putting pressure on allies, threatening to remove them from intelligence-sharing programmes such as the Five Eyes Community, if they did not ditch Huawei whose prices were competitive and which was one of the leading businesses in its field.

In this May 18, 2020, file photo, a man wearing a face mask to protect against the coronavirus walks past a Huawei retail store in Beijing


This US approach, however, sparked a significant backlash; although some countries, such as South Korea, immediately acquiesced to Washington's demands, others, such as Germany, France and the UK, initially dug their heels in. The US was losing the fight as Huawei announced 91 deals - half of them in Europe - by the time Trump's administration initiated the crackdown on the Chinese company's 5G market expansion in March 2019.

The European states continued to resist US pressure, even when their own security agencies expressed concern over the share Huawei's equipment would have in the 5G networks, and it was apparent that Washington's rambunctiousness was not working, as Keith Krach, the former US undersecretary of state who led America's anti-Huawei policy, revealed in his interview with Politico.

"The approach had been to pound the table and tell people, 'Don't buy Huawei!' It was a confrontational style," Krach explained.

However, according to the former diplomat, the US softened its approach at some point, starting to treat foreign partners as "customers", making them and their local carriers "a value proposition". Krach explained that the work with the local service providers allowed Washington to skip the government level in talks, convincing carriers to avoid the Huawei equipment instead.

"After a while, we could see it was creating a critical mass, a tipping point," Krach said.

Eventually, one by one, the European countries started to be won over by the US's persuasion – first in eastern Europe and then reaching earlier strong opponents of the move – the UK and France, the former undersecretary said. Eventually, a similar initiative was launched at Brussels level. The scale of anti-Huawei action differed from country to country – some banned the tech giant's equipment outright whereas others severely limited its use.

Now, with the arrival of Joe Biden's new administration, the situation is unlikely to change – the White House already announced it is planning to confront China on a number of issues. Biden's nominee for commerce secretary, Gina Raimondo, has already said that the new administration will not change the US's stance on Huawei's participation in the global 5G network rollout, which had been set up by Trump's team. This means that Washington will continue to accuse the tech giant of planting backdoors in its equipment to allow Beijing to spy on Huawei's clients, and try to convince other countries of it. Huawei and the Chinese authorities, in turn, will apparently continue to fight the US allegations, which they say are unsubstantiated and false.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
×