Sierens China: Huawei – Diplomatic Dynamite

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The arrest of the Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is for the American-Chinese trade dispute to the powder keg. For Huawei, and Meng, the presumption of innocence applies until the court judgment Frank Sieren says.

It is still not clear whether the Timing was simply negligent or actually a provocation: At the 1. December, the day on which the United States and China achieved in the trade dispute, finally, an approximation in the Form of a 90-day cease-fire, has been arrested by the canadian police at the behest of the United States, the Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou at the airport of Vancouver. The 46-Year-old is the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei.

Washington accuses Meng to have between 2009 and 2014, with the help of a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom goods to Iran, and thus against the trade embargo and sold. The logic, to track a Chinese company will be prosecuted, if it makes with a third country transactions, is explained from the point of view of the United States fast: Huawei used American technology and must at the time of their purchase under the letter that it sells its products only in countries on the U.S. sanctions list. Ericsson and Samsung have also delivered during the sanctions of the products and technology in Iran. The Americans were able to make nothing, since both companies use no American parts.

Questionable Arrest

Huawei claims to have the accused’s daughter company in 2009 sold. In the meantime, statement stands against statement. However, Huawei has already been transferred once, to have secretly Codes the American manufacturer Cisco copied. But that was before one and a half decades. Since then, nothing Substantial was more. Even if the allegations were true, the arrest of Meng Wanzhou questionable – even if it has come against a Deposit of ten million US dollars. Even the Washington Post speaks of a “ridiculous Overreaction”.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou

Imagine, someone in a similar important Position in Apple would have been set in China. For the already difficult relations between China and the United States, the case is a powder keg. U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad, the canadian Ambassador John McCallum were summoned to the foreign Ministry in Beijing. The do not need to interfere with the US prosecutors. But it smells suspicious then, that here with a legal dispute in world politics. Huawei has clearly become a competitor of Cisco and Apple. The company of a former officer of the Chinese people’s liberation army is like no other for the successful efforts of China, technologically to the West to catch up with and surpass him in terms of Xi Jinpings “Made In China 2025” Initiative, even as soon as possible.

Breathtaking growth in the shortest amount of time

Huawei, the pace of growth within the past ten years has allowed international competition to shame. Only six years ago, the company from Shenzhen launched the sale of mobile phones under the brand name of Huawei, which is also China’s “achievement”. In the first half of 2018, the company sold the trademarks, Huawei, and Honor in the world, with around 95 million Smartphones. The are 30 per cent more than in the previous year and since this summer also for the first time more than Apple. However, the Chinese earn much less per Smartphone than the Americans.

However, Huawei does not build only mobile phones and Gadgets, but also the leading network supplier in the world. In the US, Huawei is not allowed to sell its technology, however, because it is supposedly suited to spy for the Chinese government. Australia has joined with this assessment. The new Zealanders and the Japanese, assess the extent to which they restrict access to the market by Huawei. In the UK, Huawei has had to improve in some areas, but is permitted to continue. In all other countries of the world Huawei full market access, even in Taiwan, which is not recognized by most countries of the world as an independent state, but under the military and political protection of the United States.

Cautionary voices ahead of Huawei in Germany

In Germany, Huawei equips, for example, the Telecom and would soon also provide the infrastructure for the 5G mobile and wireless communications. Cautionary voices, there is also in Germany, Konstantin von Notz, the Vice-President of the Greens in the Bundestag, said that Germany is acting in the matter of Huawei “dangerously naïve”. The German Ministry of economic Affairs, the protection of the Constitution and the Federal office for security in information technology (BSI) however, “no reliable information on safety-critical properties of components of individual suppliers”. And allegations, the data traffic abroad you would have to read after the NSA scandal and the wiretapping the mobile phone of the German Chancellor and the US. A big difference between the US and China, there are, however, already: Even Chinese private companies are more closely associated with the authoritarian state, as a company in the USA with the democratically legitimate state. Even more: you will be taken from Beijing to the curb.

DW-columnist Frank Sieren

Huawei itself has naturally no interest to get in front of the cart of the state margins. The loss of reputation would be devastating for the international business. If Huawei has the freedom to ask this question against the impositions of the state, we do not know but. It is clear, however: in the past, neither the Americans nor other countries have submitted verifiable evidence for your accusations.

Even Donald Trump, who claims to have pre-nothing of the advance of the American prosecutors knew, seems obviously not happy. Long as he has not commented on the case. On Wednesday, he said well, he’s a reach even in a judicial procedure, when it will serve a Deal in the trade dispute.

US isolated in Iran largely

The international support for Trump on the issue of Iran is also low. Already in 2015, the Americans, China, Germany, France, great Britain and Russia have signed a nuclear agreement with Iran, and the sanctions should be reduced, if Iran fulfills its part of the agreement. The International atomic energy Agency IAEA has certified Iran to meet its obligations. However, Donald Trump has terminated the contract in early summer, unilaterally and single-handedly imposed new sanctions. The international court of justice of the UN verdonnerte Washington then promptly, some of the new sanctions against Iran. The arrest of Meng reinforced the impression that the US is not interested in this question of a political consensus with their Western partners.

European politicians should now ask on the one hand, Huawei to be as cooperative as possible. If the company wants to sell internationally, it must adhere to the international rules of the game. On the other hand, you should call the American prosecutors, in their indictment against Huawei immediately transparent, and to make Evidence comprehensible. It is not just the Reputation of the American legal system to the game. It is Western values is also about the power of Persuasion. So this is not an internal affair of the Americans. The Europe is something.

Our columnist Frank Sieren has lived for more than 20 years in Beijing.