Canada Faces Growing Pressure Amid UK Huawei Boycott

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Sunmi Park] On the 14th (local time), as the UK government officially announced the exclusion of Chinese telecommunications equipment company Huawei, expectations are growing that Canada, one of the United States' closest allies, will soon make the same decision. Since Canada is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand), which shares mutual intelligence with the US, the UK's decision to exclude Huawei is seen as a significant burden for Canada as well.

On the 15th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) predicted that with the UK's decision to exclude Huawei, Canada will become the last country among the Five Eyes nations to block Huawei in the construction of 5th generation (5G) mobile networks. Canada is also under inevitable pressure to make the same decision as the UK soon.

Charles Burton, a former diplomat and senior researcher at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute who serves as an advisor on China policy to the Canadian government, said, "The UK's decision has made it very difficult for the Canadian government to allow Huawei equipment," adding, "The Canadian government will likely have to make and announce a decision unfavorable to Huawei soon." He further explained, "The UK's decision has made it difficult for Canada to make a different decision from other Five Eyes countries. The Canadian government had the willingness to approve Huawei equipment and was under pressure from China to do so, but now it has become impossible to find an appropriate moment to allow Huawei."

Public opinion in Canada is also raising voices for the exclusion of Huawei equipment. In a survey conducted on the 13th by the non-profit polling organization Angus Reid, 78% of 1,518 respondents in Canada answered that Huawei should be excluded from Canada's 5G projects. In a similar survey last November, the response was about 69%, but anti-China sentiment in Canada appears to be intensifying over time.

The Canadian government has not yet officially declared a boycott of Huawei. However, major telecommunications companies are leading the trend by choosing not to select Huawei as a 5G partner first. The rising calls to exclude Huawei in Canada are largely influenced by the diplomatic conflict between China and Canada following the detention of Huawei Vice Chair Meng Wanzhou, as well as China's retaliation by charging two Canadians with espionage. There are also calls for the Canadian government to take stronger retaliatory measures against China.

Researcher Burton said, "Canada's previous conciliatory policy toward China has been ineffective," adding, "If Canada issues a statement excluding Huawei, it will have a more advantageous position in negotiations for the release of the two Canadians detained in China. It would be a decision that shows Canada is prepared to take measures in response to China."

The UK government has decided to stop purchasing Huawei equipment for the construction of 5G mobile networks. Specifically, it will stop purchasing Huawei equipment related to 5G after the end of this year, and plans to completely remove Huawei equipment already used in the network by 2027. It has also mandated the cessation of Huawei equipment use in wired broadband internet networks within two years. Earlier, in January of this year, the UK government allowed Huawei equipment in non-core parts of the 5G network construction project under the condition that its market share does not exceed 35%. The US has warned that it will stop sharing information with countries that allow Huawei equipment.