Communication minister Fletcher. (picture of Sydney Herald Morning Herald)
There are already signs that the United States, Australia`s key ally, may soften its tough line against Chinese communications giant Huawei, but two senior minister of Morrison (Scott Morrison) government have said recently that Australia will not lift its "ban" on Huawei.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian communications minister Fletcher (Paul Fletcher) stressed once again that the federal government`s ban on Chinese Huawei from participating in the country`s ultra-high-speed 5G mobile network is not likely to soften. A few hours ago, Australian defense minister Reynolds (Linda Reynolds) also used his first visit to the UK to urge the UK to emulate Australia and ban Huawei from participating in the country`s 5G network.
Fletcher said in an interview that Morrison government had made a decision on the construction of the 5G network last year, a decision that had been made public and had made it clear that Australian government had no intention of change the decision.
It is understood that in August 2018, the Malcolm Turnbull government banned Huawei and another Chinese company, ZTE, from providing equipment for the upcoming 5G network construction in Australia. In May of this year, the United States once included Huawei in the blacklist of transactions. But just last month, US President Donald Trump seemed to be interested in reopening the door for Huawei.
Western countries, including Australia, have become a big pain in China for the attack on Huaei. The softening of the state`s stance on the huaiei`s stance could lead to an isolation of australia on that issue, and china is the largest trading partner in australia. While New Zealand has also banned Huawesi from offering 5G equipment for its dominant carrier, Huawesi is a key supplier of mobile operators in the UK.
New Zealand and Britain are members of the five-eye (Five Eyes) intelligence alliance, while the other three members are Australia, the United States and Canada. Although not explicitly referring to Huawei, Reynolds stressed in a speech that the "five-eye" intelligence alliance must be more closely integrated. This is in line with Australia`s previous warning that failure by the UK to ban Huawei could endanger the "five-eye" relationship.
5G technology is expected to be the backbone of a number of industries, including key infrastructure, driverless cars and telemedicine. Therefore, in the eyes of all parties, 5G technology is not only highly sensitive, but also quite generous in return.
The head of Huawei Australia has been trying to meet with Fletcher to persuade him to overturn the ban and consider other security measures to determine the safety of Huawei devices, such as the establishment of a product safety "testing center" headed by independent safety experts. Huawei has set up similar institutions in the UK and Belgium.
In addition, Huawei Australia also recently mentioned that Australian government has not given its written advice and related reasons for excluding the company from participating in 5G network construction, and pointed out that the Australian "ban" does not have any practical basis to support it.
Australian Defense Minister puts pressure on Britain
Australian defense minister Reynolds (Linda Reynolds) has asked Britain to ban Huawei from participating in its 5G network, urging Britain to unite with its five-eye ally.
According to the Australian newspaper, Reynolds said the most important question at the moment is whether relationship, a close and lasting ally of Australia and Britain, can meet the new challenges at the moment, and called for closer contacts between allies to ensure that the two countries "will not be surprised" in meeting the new challenges.
At this time, British security services are still arguing about whether to ban Huawei from building a 5G network. Australia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand have been lobbying Britain to unify its position with the other five-eye members.
