Just as Germany became dependent on Putin for energy, its IT security threatens to end up in the clutches of China’s dictator Xi. Now the new federal government is finally reacting. A commentary by Georg Anastasiadis.
Anyone who allows themselves to be blackmailed will eventually be blackmailed. When it comes to energy policy, Germany is paying a horrendous price for its naivety during the Merkel era. With a bit of luck, the country could free itself just in time from a second, equally dangerous trap – namely the digital dependency on China and its Huawei group. Experts have been warning for a long time that as the German 5G mobile network is being set up, the Chinese technology that is already widely used could become a gateway for espionage and sabotage. Now the new federal government is threatening the network operators Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica. These would have to reckon with the removal of already installed “critical components” from Huawei on government instructions.
Unlike other countries in Europe, Germany has long ignored the dangers posed by the regime in Beijing. There was no lack of warnings, but the chancellor also played deaf here – as with the construction of Nord Stream II. There was no Huawei ban, in view of the flourishing business with China. Accordingly, the network operators were happy to buy Huawei modules instead of relying more on the European providers Ericsson and Nokia for more cyber security. Only the Russian shock rudely awoke politics from its slumber. So now it’s “checked”.
The hint from Berlin is likely to whirl up the cost calculations of the network operators. If you continue to rely on inexpensive China technology, it could become all the more expensive for you later. That’s right: It must not be the case that politicians put corporate profits above national security. It was like that for a long time. Now the citizens foot the bill, with interest and compound interest.
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