US Pressures EU Again to 'Exclude Huawei'... Direct Order from President Trump

Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense: "It Will Jeopardize the NATO Alliance"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The United States, which has been demanding the exclusion of Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment company and smartphone manufacturer, from participating in 5th generation (5G) mobile networks, is once again increasing pressure on its European allies.

According to Bloomberg News on the 17th (local time), Richard Grenell, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, tweeted the previous day that U.S. President Donald Trump had called and "instructed to make it clear that any country choosing an 'untrusted 5G vendor' would endanger our intelligence-sharing capabilities."

Although Ambassador Grenell did not directly mention who the '5G vendor' was, Bloomberg interpreted it as targeting Huawei.

Earlier, at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) held in Germany from the 14th to the 16th, U.S. senior officials pointed out that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could be divided over the Huawei issue.

Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, said, "If we do not recognize the threat and do nothing, it could ultimately jeopardize NATO, the most successful military alliance in history."

Previously, the United Kingdom decided on a policy to allow limited use of Huawei equipment at the National Security Council (NSC) on the 28th of last month.

Additionally, the European Union (EU) Commission issued guidelines allowing member states to restrict or ban core component supplies from suppliers posing security risks in 5G network construction, enabling each member state to decide on Huawei's participation.