What happened: In his testimony to Congress on Wednesday, the US Secretary of State said that he is “hopeful” EU countries would follow US advice and shun Huawei from their 5G networks. He added that progress has been made convincing them and that the US will not partner with or share intelligence with countries which use Huawei equipment.
Why it’s important: The statements come two days after a deal-packed meeting in Paris between China, France, Germany, and the EU Commission which paved the way for strengthened EU-China relations. The US has been trying to exclude Huawei from building next-generation internet infrastructure around the world. Europe is a key battleground due to its market size and 5G readiness. Germany launched its 5G spectrum auction on Mar. 19, refusing Washington’s request to ban Huawei. The Chinese telecoms giant is fighting back with a global public relations campaign and a lawsuit filed Mar. 7 against the US government for banning its agencies from using Huawei equipment.