US bill seeks to limit Huawei’s role in 5G
A US congressman has introduced legislation aimed at curbing China’s influence in developing 5G standards.
Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas’s 10th congressional district, presented the bill to the House of Representatives yesterday, July 15.
According to the bill, the legislation would direct the secretary of state to provide “assistance and technical expertise to enhance the representation and leadership of the US at international standards-setting bodies”, which are drawing up the standards for 5G technology.
According to Reuters, the bill says that increased representation from the US at standards-setting bodies is necessary to combat Chinese influence.
In a statement sent to the news agency, McCaul said that “China’s majority control of the world’s 5G networks, interconnected devices and cloud storage is a risk we cannot accept”.
Among the leading bodies developing standards for 5G is the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
The role of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei in developing 5G standards and technology has emerged as a point of contention between the Trump administration and its allies.
The US, which in May banned the sale of US products to Huawei except under an approved licence, has pressured other members of Five Eyes—the intelligence alliance between the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand— to restrict the influence of the Chinese telecoms firm.
The US has warned that Huawei’s role in 5G technology could undermine national security.
A UK parliamentary committee responsible for science and technology told the British government last week that it could find no “technical grounds for excluding Huawei entirely from the UK’s 5G or other telecommunications network”.
The committee said that there was “no evidence” that a ban on Huawei supplying 5G would “constitute a proportionate response to the potential security threat posed by foreign suppliers”.
Yesterday, Reuters reported that the Canadian government was likely to postpone a decision on whether Huawei would be allowed supply 5G equipment and infrastructure in the country until after the country’s next federal election in October.
Congressman McCaul has previously championed tackling “China’s malign influence” as a key foreign policy objective for Republicans.
The US and China have been embroiled in a trade war which has seen tariffs placed on each other’s goods, amid failed attempts at striking a new trade deal.
Earlier this month, WIPR reported that the two countries were to resume efforts to reach an agreement after IP-related concerns proved a stumbling block in negotiations.
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