In a letter to German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell warned that if Germany allows Huawei or other Chinese equipment suppliers to participate in its 5G project, the US will not maintain the same level of cooperation with German security agencies.
Analysts pointed out that Germany has relied heavily on US intelligence in its anti-terrorism operations and the threat by Washington seems to hit Germany right at its weak spot.
Germany was scheduled to hold the auction of 5G spectrum licenses next week at the earliest. Berlin said that it would tighten security criteria for all vendors but does not want to exclude any company. Huawei also welcomed the new criteria.
The US has launched political persecution against Huawei on unwarranted charges. Washington is also obstructing its allies from using Huawei equipment in their 5G construction. An unprecedented debate is going on over the technological advancement of a telecommunication giant and the security threat it may pose. So far, the US may find the debate outcome irritating, as most telecommunication operators across the world believe Huawei is the only mature 5G network supplier and its technology is at least one year ahead of its Western counterparts.
Washington has been coercing Berlin with menaces. For Germany, it is still important to retain security cooperation with the US. Although Germany and France are discussing the autonomy…
