President Trump demanded the UK not use 5G technology from Huawei,over security concerns. But in Yet Another Rebuke to the U.S. both Germany and the UK have other ideas.
The German government is leaning toward letting Huawei Technologies Co. participate in building the nation’s high-speed internet infrastructure, several German officials said, the latest sign of ambivalence among U.S. allies over Washington’s push to ostracize the Chinese tech giant as a national security risk.
A small group of ministries reached a preliminary agreement two weeks ago that still needs formal approval by the full cabinet and parliament. That isn’t expected for several weeks.
The Trump administration has been pushing its allies for months to restrict Huawei’s participation in building their next-generation mobile infrastructure—or even pull its equipment from existing networks.
But unwillingness in those countries to delay the rollout of so-called 5G services, the potential additional costs of picking new vendors, and lack of evidence showing that Huawei can use its equipment to eavesdrop on or disrupt communications have stymied U.S. efforts.
In the U.K., Washington’s closest ally in Europe, a review currently under way is expected to conclude that the company’s products should still be allowed in less vulnerable parts of its network, according to British officials.
And across Eastern Europe, where the U.S. has traditionally held considerable sway, governments have been hesitant to drastically restrict Huawei’s access, partly out of concern this could antagonize China, a big investor in the region.
A recent probe by Germany’s cybersecurity agency with help from the U.S. and other allies failed to show that the Chinese company could use its equipment to clandestinely siphon off data, according to senior agency and other government officials.
Lead image from the Engaget Germany may use Huawei hardware for its 5G networks.
World Seriously Needs to Tell Trump “Go to Hell”
This is the third recent case which the EU stood up to Trump,
- Trump demanded the EU cancel Nord Stream 2, a natural gas pipeline from Russia to the EU. They said no. I wrote about that on January 13 in World Seriously Needs to Tell Trump “Go to Hell” A week ago, the UU decided to go ahead.
- Trump demanded the EU stop all deals with Iran. Instead, the EU created a special exchange to trade with Iran in Euros, bypassing US dollar clearing and thus US Sanctions. For discussion, please see US Arrogance on Iran: Trump’s “Coalition of the Unwilling and Openly Coerced”.
- Huawei is strike three.
To those actions, one can safely add the Wall. Regardless of what you wanted, Pelosi ran rings around Trump.
Sanction Policy
It is beyond idiotic for one person to set sanction policy for the whole world. I am pleased the world is standing up to Trump.
How did Trump respond? With more bullying of course.
German Cars a National Security Threat
To strike back at the EU a Commerce Study Deems “European Cars a Threat to US National Security”.
The report came in with only a couple hours to spare.
The idea that German cars, most of which are manufactured right here in the US, is security threat is of course ludicrous.
But the US cannot legally raise tariffs on German cars unless that was the finding, so, that was the finding.
I suspect the finding was made at the last moment based on wthet the EU did with Nord Stream 2 and Iran.
National Security Threat Hoot of the Day
Even with US help, Germany could not find any evidence of Trump’s claim regarding Huawei.
Nonetheless, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard A. Grenell said that German policy makers should consider that China gathered and exploited data on an unrivaled scale.
Without a doubt, the US is the unrivaled global leader in data gathering, back door traps, and hardware manipulations.
And the US will not even allow Google, Apple, or any other technology company to even mention when the US asks them for data gathering traps.
To top it off, Wikileaks proved the US even spied on Angel Merkel.
Economically Illiterate Trump
Trump views trade as a win-lose setup. He thinks one side is the winner and the other the loser.
And he insists the US win every deal.
In reality, both sides have to think they are getting something they want, or they would not make a deal. Trump has not made one good deal yet.
USMCA is is nearly identical to NAFTA with a small concession for Wisconsin dairy farmers, and a bigger loss to Mexico over a mechanism for trade challenges.
At best USMA was break even, but more realistically, Trump’s deal was a small net loss vs NAFTA. And Trump stirred up a big pot of animosity in doing so.
Mistrust
With Trump, no company, individual, or nation has any reason to believe he will not later change the nature of the deal. Mistrust is high, and rightfully so.
Peak Trump
Please read “Peak Trump” by David Stockman.
Peak Trump has indeed arrived. Proof is found in the increasing willingness of countries willing to tell Trump to go to hell.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Mish , at this stage trump is just a person that sign what was given on his desk.. he totally surrender to the swamp.. look how easy he kowtow the deepstate / neocon line on venezuela and other matters..
fact is , trump realized his survival and continued survival past his presidency depends heavily on how obedient he is to the deep state..
trump is gone , just a clown/bozo who do not even care anyomore.. the deepstate is in the driving wheel now..
The German fake outrage.
Their military is a joke. Just how much outrage can the playground wuss have against the boy that protects him against the school bully?
The only joke here is 2banana , a paid astroturfer assigned in this site to post pro trump narrarive..
anyone knew theres no threat in europe so why germany have to pay more defense ? the germans knew if they have good military it will be used not to defend germany but to be used by US for its global rampage in the name of NATO.
german play the long game , they wont play soldier for hire to help US , they knew their own interest lies on cheap energy from east , they knew trade with china far more beneficial than declining US , they know US dollar time is numbered , they are preparing for US economic implosion..
So anti-Trump. So anti-American. The Eu is wrong on all accounts and time will prove this out.
The fake outrage from the EU nations continues.
Have they raised their own meager defense spending (except for what Trump forced them to do)? Have they threatened to kick out one American soldier or close one American base? Do they still expect (really demand) that America still protect them and pay for most of the cost?
The EU wants their obama back. Amazing trade deals for themselves, high tariffs for American products, a president who apologizes at the drop of hat, a president who puts his own country way down the list just to be liked by the EU elite but also a president that forces the American taxpayer to shoulder the vast majority of the EU defense.
Those days are over. And China will laugh at the EU if Russian tanks ever roll west.
The day the EU pays for 100% of their own defense (and cuts their own entitlement spending to cover it) and have their own citizens put their own lives on the line in their own defense of their own country is the day you will know they are serious.
+++
“Peak Trump has indeed arrived. Proof is found in the increasing willingness of countries willing to tell Trump to go to hell.”
2banana , paid astroturfer assigned to this site , posting standard narrative straight from Trump’s white house rhetoric factory :
– EU is stupid and leeching off uncle sam
– China evil and stealing everything
– everything is obama’s fault. , never trump’s fault
– US want europeans to pay for defense for european’s sake , not for US Mil Industry’s sake
– Trump won the trade deal.
what a crock of lies
“The day the EU pays for 100% of their own defense “
SO, why doesn’t Trump just bring the troops home, then? Then the EU is paying 100% themselves, by definition. No problem at all. And no entangling alliances.
Whatever else can be said about Trump, let me say that he has been a considerably better President than I expected. I’ll leave people to ponder whether that means I think he’s been a good President, or it means that my expectations were extremely low.
Look at all this bullshit on gag orders
And look at the US spying on Merkel
Pathetic and criminal
Donald, when laughter broke out during your UN presentation and people said they were laughing with you – well, they lied.
exactly , a fitting reminded that ppl will laugh if an emperor with no clothes blather in arrogance
“These companies can take those request to a designated court. Also US has a free press.”
No, in fact, they cannot. And there is no free press either. They are prohibited as a “national security” measure from even mentioning US security requests.
Here is a discussion
The article mentions the US cut back on the number, but if companies are placed under a gag order, they simply cannot talk about it.
Rest assured, if the NSA demands apple put in a back door, Apple will not be allowed to discuss it.
These companies are not powerless in Washington D.C. One way or another much of this information comes out. And what doesn’t maybe shouldn’t. Do you ever see any leaked documents from the Kremlin or the Forbidden City released in Wikipedia?
You are overstating the power that the NSC or other agencies have in relation to Apple, Google, and Microsoft. And you consistently understate the danger and risk from China and Russia intelligence services.
It is as necessary for the U.S. Government to keep secrets as it is for individual to have some measure of privacy. Should the U.S. Press have released information on the D-Day Invasion or the Manhattan Project to our enemies? Respectfully.
“It is as necessary for the U.S. Government to keep secrets as it is for individual to have some measure of privacy. ”
What privacy, again? The one Apple is told to violate without disclosing it?
There has been a steady stream of defectors from Russia and China for decades. All bringing with them “secrets” from their respective Juntas. Not much of it worth bothering with putting on English language leak sites, since it doesn’t much hold any interest outside the country the leaks originated from.
Government is, or at least was back in the civilized era, supposed to be the servant of the people. That is what informed, and should inform, the kind of secrets that is appropriate for them to keep. Some privacy, OK. Some technical details required to get their job done, ditto. OTOH, not arbitrary and broad secrets straight up detrimental to those they serve. Like, for example, spying on them under pretext of all manners of imaginary hobgoblins. Or, at best, hobgoblins that are only scary because the people, the masters, have been so thoroughly disarmed and neutered their scared witless by the mention of a housemouse.
That someone calls themselves government, doesn’t magically make them some sort of saints. Quite the opposite, as the mere fact that someone managed to climb a competitive ladder to a position of power, has already clearly demonstrated he is willing to do what it takes to climb. And spends his resources doing that, rather than being nice to others.
As regards Normandie and the Manhattan project… No entangling alliances. No standing armies. A properly interpreted second amendment. Problem solved.
Pining for the old days when any US secrets and Intellectual Property just went out the front door for cash as with the Clintons and Obamas are we Mish?
mish , the sad thing about ths is that many ppl still whitewash US data collection and spying in a massively grandscale than china’s ..
either so many people succumbed to “US exceptionalism” syndrome. , or they just paid trolls like 2banana here
Your words:”US asks them for data gathering traps.” These companies can take those request to a designated court. Also US has a free press. Remember Xi Jiinping words : “north, south, east, west” Chinese Com. Party controls the whole society and that includes all Chinese corporation. Huawei is completely controlled by Chinese security services. I would forecast that European will not let Huawei into anything critical. Do not be fooled there is no equivalence between a constitutional democracy and a one party state with a permanent emperor . China is an adversary and so are its corporations. Your libertarian philosophy is of no value in this landscape.
Free press? Constitutional democracy? The US is a banana republic with a tinhorn dictator ruling by fiat and intimidation. There is no functional democracy left in this country. In polls of world citizens, China is widely regarded as more of a friend than the US. The US is now a pariah nation hated by the entire world.
It is not the case that the U.S. is a banana republic: yes, China, Russia, Iran, and N.Korea are authoritarian states, but not the U.S.A. We just had an election where the party in power was turned out in the House. Do you see Emperor Xi Jiinping being removed from office? No. Maybe Chinese loans are loved, but that is only now. Wait till they start to collect or demand your territory as in Sri Lanka. No thing do I enjoy more than puncturing the ballon of puerile Chinese zealots. Never forget Tiananmen Square and the thousands executed by Deng Xiaoping.
Freedom fo the press . . . the highest ranking I found was 57th
Democracy (ok it’s a republic but …) . . . the majorities in 5/6 of the government do not represent the majorities of opinion of it’s citizens
typical ignorant post by a trump supporters who use rhetoric and propaganda to substitute facts.
only the most delusional person would claim US have free press..
this freepress claim invalidate your post as it is obvious you lack sane mental capacity to analyze the situation , other than posting anti china rhetoric straight from trump.
“My gommiment is always the bestest gommiment, much better than all the other gommiments!”, the properly indoctrinated are told to chant at every opportunity.
More likely that you are the indoctrinated since you can neither prove nor disprove your case. The Huckleberry Finn quote by “pap” on the “guviment” is a much better quote.
So many deals, I can’t keep up with the winning!
Somehow oddly enough, the U.S. economy keeps chugging along.
i find it hilarious that trump supporters lost their analytical thinking when it come to trump’s disasterous trade war.. all i saw was a massive stockholm syndrome from trump voters who think they will win in the loooooooong run , even if they lost jobs they still support trump..
this is even worse than the days of obama blind supporters , the buyer remore during obama is quicker than the delusional trump supporters..