https://tech.newstatesman.com/policy/uk-huawei-decision-new-tech-cold-war

After months of prevaricating, the UK recently made the decision to lock Chinese telecoms company Huawei out of its 5G network. In January, the UK had decided to limit the company’s share of the network to 35 per cent and keep it out of the sensitive ‘core’, but this decision was overturned after the US imposed new sanctions on the company meaning it could no longer use American-made chips. 

The Trump administration has claimed triumph for the UK’s final decision – pegging it to a sustained campaign of pressure on the UK government to excise Huawei. But the truth is less clear cut. The UK has cited security worries about the Chinese technology (the most recent evaluation by the security agencies said the risk was too great following the latest sanctions). But Huawei has also become totemic in quickly realigning Sino-Western relations. The UK’s decision is emblematic of an emergent age of tech protectionism and a reshuffling global order.