Between China and Trump
Published in Público
(Portugal) on 25 May 2019
by Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles (link to original)
(Portugal) on 25 May 2019
by Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles (link to original)
Translated from
by Rita Oliveira Almeida.
Edited by Elizabeth Cosgriff.
I find it difficult to believe that a totalitarian state wouldn’t control one of its own country’s the biggest and most profitable companies.
It seems to me even more evident that those who create a sinister social credit system, surveilling their citizens and rewarding the ones who do better, apply the same methods globally. Especially when it comes to a country with the economic and commercial power of China, which finds in Huawei the perfect mechanisms to implement them, while the 5G system makes the company attractive.
None of this invalidates the fact that the U.S. is indeed interested in weakening Chinese commercial power, and I can understand that this might be the explanation for this kind of embargo of Huawei. I just find it difficult to accept the argument that Americans also use the same espionage and sabotage methods with their companies. Such an argument ignores a great part of the Western conquests, the legislation of the United States, the democratic system in one and the communist system in the other, not to mention the lack of regard this reveals for the American intelligence services and the very own limits they impose.
Things are what they are and China is what it is. The Trump administration obviously is what it is, too, but the truth is that strategically it has been doing a good job (let’s just look at the recent reactions [to U.S. sanctions on Huawei] and what they might mean) and it may be able to strengthen America’s relevance in some of the strategic sectors thanks to this. It is doing this at a time when this Asian country (still) depends a lot on America and knows the influence it has over many European Union countries.
As a European, it is hard to see someone like Donald Trump being elevated to a champion and freedom advocate, but it is worse to shut our eyes regarding what Huawei might mean in each country. This is a current topic of discussion in Europe, and the matter should not be resolved differently things in many of the EU member states, something which would only politically weaken this organization even more.
This is also a discussion Portugal would hardly be able to ignore.
It seems to me even more evident that those who create a sinister social credit system, surveilling their citizens and rewarding the ones who do better, apply the same methods globally. Especially when it comes to a country with the economic and commercial power of China, which finds in Huawei the perfect mechanisms to implement them, while the 5G system makes the company attractive.
None of this invalidates the fact that the U.S. is indeed interested in weakening Chinese commercial power, and I can understand that this might be the explanation for this kind of embargo of Huawei. I just find it difficult to accept the argument that Americans also use the same espionage and sabotage methods with their companies. Such an argument ignores a great part of the Western conquests, the legislation of the United States, the democratic system in one and the communist system in the other, not to mention the lack of regard this reveals for the American intelligence services and the very own limits they impose.
Things are what they are and China is what it is. The Trump administration obviously is what it is, too, but the truth is that strategically it has been doing a good job (let’s just look at the recent reactions [to U.S. sanctions on Huawei] and what they might mean) and it may be able to strengthen America’s relevance in some of the strategic sectors thanks to this. It is doing this at a time when this Asian country (still) depends a lot on America and knows the influence it has over many European Union countries.
As a European, it is hard to see someone like Donald Trump being elevated to a champion and freedom advocate, but it is worse to shut our eyes regarding what Huawei might mean in each country. This is a current topic of discussion in Europe, and the matter should not be resolved differently things in many of the EU member states, something which would only politically weaken this organization even more.
This is also a discussion Portugal would hardly be able to ignore.
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