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Huawei and China’s role in 5G

The next generation of computer and phone networks, known as 5G, is expected to connect cities around the world and fuel a future run on robots, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and other technologies.

But it may also rely on an infrastructure vulnerable to hackers and spies, one that the U.S. wants to stop China from building.

The Trump administration has conducted a campaign to pressure allies such as Britain, Poland and Germany to banish Chinese companies, especially the telecommunications giant Huawei, from participating in the 5G buildup, according to the NYT:

The administration contends that the world is engaged in a new arms race — one that involves technology, rather than conventional weaponry, but poses just as much danger to America’s national security. In an age when the most powerful weapons, short of nuclear arms, are cyber-controlled, whichever country dominates 5G will gain an economic, intelligence and military edge for much of this century.

What’s next? President Trump is expected to issue an executive order prohibiting American companies from incorporating equipment originating from China in critical telecommunications networks, extending current rules that apply only to government entities. His administration, which has also waged a trade war with China, says that it is motivated by concern for national security, not just by competitive defensiveness. China’s economic czar, Liu He, will meet with the American trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, in Washington on Wednesday for two days of trade talks, which is likely to cover issues of cyberprotection and the proliferation of state-owned companies.

What do officials think? Beijing’s ambassador to the E.U. threatened “serious consequences” if Huawei and other Chinese companies were excluded from 5G projects. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fired the country’s ambassador to China after he said that a senior Huawei executive had “strong arguments” to fight extradition to the U.S.