NSA: Setting Up a Trade War

So now China is a target as well. It was really just a question of time as to when the whistleblower Snowden would reveal how the U.S. is spying on the People’s Republic of China. If the NSA spies even on official allies and their governments, it seems likely that the ideologically largest rival is a target as well.

There is something else, though, that these recent revelations make apparent: The U.S. does not just merely spy due to alleged security-motivated reasons but in fact carries out industrial espionage on a large scale. Only a year ago, the U.S. government accused the Chinese network equipment provider Huawei of collaborating with the Chinese regime and advised everyone worldwide against purchasing Huawei products.

The U.S. government’s attempts did not, though, manage to stop the company’s rising to No. 1 in the industry. But at least for its own country, it found a reason to ban Huawei products from the shopping aisles. The country, which attaches such great importance to free trade, is the only meaningful economy within which Huawei has so far not been able to gain a foothold. The Chinese company is extremely successful everywhere else.

The latest Snowden revelations definitely do not clear China from any spying accusations. On the contrary: It was only three weeks ago that the Chinese president spoke blatantly about building up a new cyber army. The state hackers will probably also utilize Huawei’s technique for that. However, in this case the county does not need to gain cooperation from companies in a cumbersome way or gamble with their reputation. Cyber attacks can also be done in a completely concealed way.

The NSA’s revealed espionage provides the basis for a trade war. The damage couldn’t be greater.