Determined to dominate 5G telecommunications networks, the Communists spend great sums and expend significant political capital to see that Huawei has as broad a global footprint as possible. A leader in affordable 5G network provision, Huawei is, at least on paper, well-positioned to take advantage of the next evolution in communications. Unfortunately for Huawei and its masters in Beijing, the world is waking up to the fact that Huawei isn’t so much a private company as it is an adjunct of the Chinese government.

Specifically, the People’s Liberation Army’s General Staff 3rd Department. The U.S. intelligence community understands that Huawei is at least partially funded, organized, and directed by the People’s Liberation Army. The intent of this control is to allow the Communists to gain secret access to global communications flows. In turn, they will have the ability to steal information from governments, private businesses, and individuals. The British government says that Huawei has specific unresolved flaws in its software that would allow those aware of these flaws to gain secret access to Huawei’s software.

Of course, it is neither an accident nor laziness that has allowed these software flaws to go uncorrected. Instead, it is part of the Communists’ interest in using Huawei as a deniable means of intelligence gathering.

This bears note in light of an espionage trial that began this week in Poland. A former Huawei executive, Wang Weijing, is on trial for spying for China. Wang is specifically accused of recruiting a former Polish government official as a Chinese agent, and for trying to pressure the Polish government into using Huawei for its technology needs. Here we see the physical reality of Beijing’s effort to ensure that Huawei has dominance around the world in 5G networks. And to then use that dominance to spy. But while the Communists and Huawei both insist that they never use Huawei’s software or hardware for the purposes of espionage, they aren’t that clever in hiding the reality of their engagement. Note that Huawei has paid Wang’s legal fees even as he faces trial. If Huawei is telling the truth that Wang did not act in furtherance of the company’s interests, then why is it paying for his legal defense?

The question surely won’t get an answer from the Communist. Still, the Communists have a problem. It’s not just that one of their spies is on trial. It’s the fact that this trial carries a very political connotation. After all, European governments are actively considering whether they should allow Huawei to provide their 5G networks. Under significant U.S. pressure to avoid using Huawei, and thus avoid the risk of allied defense communications being intercepted by the Communists, these governments will view the Polish trial with close attention. That trial offers a literal case study in the risks of allowing Huawei to access European 5G communication networks. It also offers an injection of public concern as to what risks individuals might face if Huawei is in charge of providing their 5G networks. Very few Europeans will be terribly happy with the idea that the Communists might secretly use Huawei to listen to their private conversations!

It’s easy to understand, then, why the Communists will be holding their fingers crossed in the hope that Wang is acquitted. If convicted, he will serve as physical proof of the great risks that come with allowing Huawei to operate without very carefully designed restrictions.

(Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner foreign policy writer)

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