China’s quest for world domination is no longer a product of American paranoia.
According to surveys conducted by Pew Research Center, the general lack of faith in Chinese President Xi Jinping to “do the right thing” is rapidly increasing throughout the world.
Since 2014, the number of people who say they are concerned with Xi and his policies has increased from 50% or lower to nearly 80% in Germany, the United States, and Australia and up to 75% in Italy, Spain, and Canada.
What this means is that countries once hesitant to upset China are moving closer to Washington’s view: that China is a threat and must be blocked from accessing technology, infrastructure, and consumers.
In a major shift, EU countries unanimously approved sanctions on China this year after it violated a 1984 treaty with the UK regarding Hong Kong’s independence. An EU policy paper published early last year describes China as a “systemic rival.”
“China has become plank number one for the US in our diplomatic conversations with Europeans,” says Wess Mitchell, a former US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs. “Our best ally in the effort to make China an issue is China’s own behavior.”
This behavior includes:
Persecution of Uighur Muslims, takeover of Hong Kong, moves in the South China Sea, handling of COVID-19, aggression along its border with India, strategic acquisition of foreign companies in key sectors, and constitutional changes making Xi president for life.
For decades, the EU and the US thought that ongoing communication and trade with China would somehow encourage Beijing to move towards Democracy. This clearly isn’t possible.
The perfect example is China’s infiltration of wireless networks.
For years, the Trump Administration has begged European nations to keep Chinese tech company Huawei out of wireless networks and 5G rollouts based on national security concerns.
Australia was the first nation to join the US in its ban on Huawei. The country announced in July 2018 that it would not allow the company to participate in its 5G rollout. Later that year, Japan announced it would stop buying Huawei equipment.
In January 2019, the Trump Administration hit Huawei with 23 indictments for alleged trade secret theft and fraud. In May, Trump signed a law banning Huawei from US markets.
A CIA report released later that year suggests Huawei is funded by the Chinese government. A Bloomberg investigation also confirmed that Huawei employees worked on Chinese military research projects. In July, leaked documents accused Huawei of secretly helping North Korea build its wireless network.
In 2020, the UK banned Huawei from its 5G network. They also released a report showing “clear evidence” that Huawei was cooperating with the Chinese government.
Canadian telecoms blocked Huawei from 5G development in June.
India, which fully embraced Huawei a few years ago, also removed its equipment from networks after a deadly border skirmish in July.
Sweden banned Huawei from its 5G network in October.
This month, it was revealed that Huawei’s facial recognition software can identify Uighur minorities and set off alarms. Such technology will only worsen the widespread persecution of Uighurs in China. Additionally, reports suggest Huawei may have backdoor access to mobile networks globally and is selling prohibited US technology to Iran.
As it stands, Huawei is blacklisted in the US and has been designated a national security threat by the FCC.
Author’s Note: People are finally starting to realize that China is a danger. We tend to project our own values onto the people of China. However, we must remember that China has a totalitarian government and has some very brutal policies. The US and the EU have no choice but to cooperate on China. I hope Sleepy Joe is ready for the challenge.
Sources:
Pushback on Xi’s Vision for China Spread Beyond US
Huawei ban timeline: Firm tested face recognition that ID’d Uighur Muslims, says report