Germany Wants China, Huawei to Agree to Not Spy on Them

This has to be a joke, right? Friends and allies regularly spy on each other, and China is neither – to the U.S. or (Western) Europe. Still, German Chancellor Angela Merkel apparently wants China to agree to a no-spy deal so Deutschland won’t have to exclude Huawei.

We previously wrote that Germany didn’t want to blacklist Shenzhen’s telecom giant. While the U.S., Japan, Australia, and New Zealand refuse to do business with Huawei, and the U.K. and France have substantially cut ties, Germany and Italy want to leave the door open.

Italy refused to bar Huawei or ZTE Corp from the build-out of its 5G networks – “National security is a priority and if any critical issues emerged - which to date have not - the ministry would assess whether or not to take measures,” Rome said.

Meanwhile, Germany wants to work with Huawei in good faith, but Chancellor Merkel has apparently been seeking assurances that Germany and China won’t spy on each other.

Which brings me back to my original statement ...

This must be a joke, right?

Germany is a paragon of western liberal democracy. China…isn’t. Diametrically opposed nations like these don’t traditionally partner for anything but temporary convenience. And even the best of friends spy on each other. It’s a stark reality of international diplomacy.

So China can promise to play nice, but I can’t imagine Merkel is daft enough to believe the People’s Republic won’t be spying on them (just in greater secrecy).