What they say now, though privately, in the corridors of the military-monetary complex, is “Chinese technology: can’t live with it, can’t live without it.” According to a Bloomberg report released on July 3, and reported in Global Times, “the Pentagon is provoking ‘a fresh showdown’ with Congress, as it feels it cannot avoid doing business with Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications provider. Some U.S. defense officials also warned of the risk of ‘national security being jeopardized’ if the issue is not properly handled.”
The 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which went into effect in August 2020, prohibits U.S. government agencies from buying or contracting with entities that use Huawei components.
Global Times reports in its July 4 coverage that this does not mean the U.S. will change its hostile acts towards China, especially against Chinese IT: “Despite U.S. media revealing that the Pentagon is seeking an exemption from a 2019 Act that prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense from contracting with entities that use Huawei equipment, Chinese analysts believe it’s not a sign that the U.S. will slow down its crackdown on China’s technological development, but does show that the U.S.’ abuse of the ‘national security’ concept has backfired, and that as Huawei continues to grow, the U.S. will increasingly run into more self-imposed obstacles.”
The Chinese daily continues: “Citing officials, Bloomberg claimed that the Pentagon believes Huawei is ‘so firmly entrenched’ in the systems of countries where it does business that it makes finding alternatives almost a mission impossible, especially given that Huawei accounts for almost one-third of all telecommunications equipment revenue worldwide. The Pentagon believes that if all the stipulated restrictions related to Huawei were met, it would also disrupt the Pentagon’s ability to purchase the vast quantities of medical supplies, drugs, clothing and other types of logistical support the military relies on, Bloomberg reported. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Jurgensen said extending the waiver would allow for purchases if they are deemed to further U.S. national security interests. Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate’s intelligence committee, also admitted that a waiver may be necessary, according to the Bloomberg report.”
Sun Chenghao, a fellow and head of the U.S.-EU program at the Center for International Security and Strategy in Tsinghua University, said: “It does not mean a shift in the U.S. strategy of containing China. The U.S.’ attempt to crack down on Chinese technological development is unlikely to stop.”
