Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

SoylentNews is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop. Only 11 submissions in the queue.
posted by mrpg on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the pot-kettle-black-irony-nsa-fbi-cia-tsa dept.

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Washington Asks Allies to Drop Huawei

The U.S. government has initiated an extraordinary outreach campaign to foreign allies, trying to persuade wireless and internet providers in these countries to avoid telecommunications equipment from China's Huawei Technologies Co., according to people familiar with the situation.

American officials have briefed their government counterparts and telecom executives in friendly countries where Huawei equipment is already in wide use, including Germany, Italy and Japan, about what they see as cybersecurity risks, these people said. The U.S. is also considering increasing financial aid for telecommunications development in countries that shun Chinese-made equipment, some of these people say.

Also: The US is warning other countries against using Huawei's 5G tech


Original Submission

Related Stories

U.S. Chief Technology Officer Urges Europe to Take a Stand Against Huawei 8 comments

US Official Criticizes Europe For Letting Huawei 5G Equipment Inside Borders

At this point, the United States' open opposition to Europe adopting Chinese tech giant Huawei's 5G equipment is well known. The US considers Huawei's legal commitments to the Chinese government and potential backdoors in the company's 5G equipment a national security threat. Subsequently, the country wants its European allies to forego 5G networking gear from Huawei at the cost of being left behind in the race to adopt the next-generation networking standard.

[...] Speaking at a tech conference in Lisbon, Portugal, US Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios urged Europe to follow America's lead in dealing with Huawei. Mr. Kratsios asked Europe to ''take a stand'' against the Chinese company who the US believes can be forced by China's intelligence to hand over sensitive data at any point in time.

Mr. Kratsios' statements come at a time when Europe is welcoming Huawei with open arms. Earlier this week Hungary announced that it would allow Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone to work with Huawei in introducing 5G services in the country. The decision marked another European country that's unfazed by the US' concerns. Germany, UK and other European countries have already laid down frameworks for letting Huawei's equipment broadcast 5G within their borders, but recent statements by the German foreign minister Heiko Maas suggest that Germany might be having second-thoughts about fully trusting Huawei.

Previously: Washington Asks Allies to Drop Huawei
Germany and the EU Likely to Embrace Huawei, Rebuff the U.S.
EU to Drop Threat of Huawei Ban but Wants 5G Risks Monitored


Original Submission

Germany and the EU Likely to Embrace Huawei, Rebuff the U.S. 91 comments

Despite U.S. Pressure, Germany Refuses To Exclude Huawei's 5G Technology

The Trump administration insists that Chinese firm Huawei, which makes 5G technology, could hand over data to the Chinese government. The U.S. has warned European allies, including Germany, Hungary and Poland, to ban Huawei from its 5G network or risk losing access to intelligence-sharing.

Germany has refused to ban any company, despite pressure from the U.S. Instead, Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated that her country would instead tighten security rules. "Our approach is not to simply exclude one company or one actor," she told a conference in Berlin on Tuesday, "but rather we have requirements of the competitors for this 5G technology."

Did The U.S. Just Lose Its War With Huawei?

"There are two things I don't believe in," Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, referring to Germany's standoff with the United States over Huawei's inclusion in her country's 5G rollout. "First, to discuss these very sensitive security questions publicly, and, second, to exclude a company simply because it's from a certain country."

Europe now seems likely to settle on 'careful and considered' inclusion of Huawei instead of any blanket bans. Chancellor Merkel stressed this week that a joined-up EU response would be "desirable", and Italy and the U.K. are also backing away from Washington's prohibition on Huawei's 5G technology. If they fold, it is likely the broader European Union will follow suit. And if those key European allies can't be carried, what chance Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East?

Canada Arrests Huawei's Global Chief Financial Officer in Vancouver 45 comments

Canada Arrests Huawei's Global Chief Financial Officer in Vancouver, Canada

Canada has arrested the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei Technologies who is facing extradition to the United States on suspicion she violated U.S. trade sanctions against Iran.

Wanzhou Meng, who is also the deputy chair of Huawei’s board and the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities.

“Wanzhou Meng was arrested in Vancouver on December 1. She is sought for extradition by the United States, and a bail hearing has been set for Friday,” Justice department spokesperson Ian McLeod said in a statement to The Globe and Mail. “As there is a publication ban in effect, we cannot provide any further detail at this time. The ban was sought by Ms. Meng.

A Canadian source with knowledge of the arrest said U.S. law enforcement authorities are alleging that Ms. Meng tried to evade the U.S. trade embargo against Iran but provided no further details.

Also at The Register and c|net.


Original Submission

Politics: China Arrests Former Canadian Diplomat; Chinese Companies Ban iPhones, Require Huawei Phones 77 comments

Michael Kovrig, former Canadian diplomat, reportedly arrested in China

A former Canadian diplomat has reportedly been arrested in China. The International Crisis Group said Tuesday it's aware of reports that its North East Asia senior adviser Michael Kovrig has been detained.

The Brussels-based non-governmental organization said in a statement it's doing everything possible to obtain additional information about Kovrig's whereabouts and that it will work to ensure his prompt release.

The Globe and Mail in Toronto and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported the arrest, citing unnamed sources.

Reports of Kovrig's detention come after China warned Canada of consequences for its recent arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver's airport. It's unclear if there's any link between the cases.

Some Chinese companies ban iPhones, require Huawei after CFO's arrest: report

Some Chinese companies are banning iPhones and requiring that their employees use Huawei products following the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer, according to a new Yahoo News report. Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, was arrested by Canadian authorities last Saturday at the request of the U.S. after allegedly violating trade sanctions against Iran. Chinese officials have strongly protested Meng's detention.

Huawei Open to Selling 5G Modems to Apple 12 comments

Huawei is 'open' to selling 5G chips to Apple for iPhones, marking a big shift in strategy

Huawei is "open" to selling high-speed 5G chips and other silicon to rival smartphone maker Apple, marking a significant shift in the Chinese tech giant's thinking toward its own intellectual property.

The world's largest networking equipment maker has been in the consumer market for a relatively short amount of time with its own-brand smartphones, but it has quickly risen to become the third-largest vendor by market share.

Huawei started by selling phones at low prices but in recent years has shifted focus to increase its market share in the high end of the market, battling Apple and Samsung. As part of that move, Huawei has developed its own chips, including a modem to give smartphones 5G connectivity, and a processor to power its devices. 5G is next-generation mobile internet, which delivers data at very high speeds.

So far, those pieces of technology have been used only in Huawei's devices. That could change. In an interview with CNBC that aired Monday, Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said the company would consider selling its 5G chips to Apple. "We are open to Apple in this regard," Ren said. The CEO spoke in Mandarin, which was translated into English by an official translator.

Apple products (e.g. new iPhones) are likely to use 5G modems from Intel, although they won't be ready until 2020. Huawei has been shunned by U.S. companies due to warnings and pressure from the U.S. government claiming that Huawei products enable Chinese espionage. There has even been discussion of the U.S. government developing a 5G network free of Chinese influence. Given that there aren't many places in the country where you can get a "5G" connection yet, is there any point to this offer?

Related:


Original Submission

Arrest of Huawei Executive Causing Discontent Among Chinese Elites 86 comments

Huawei Arrest Tests China's Leaders as Fear and Anger Grip Elite

The arrest of one of China's leading tech executives by the Canadian police for extradition to the United States has unleashed a combustible torrent of outrage and alarm among affluent and influential Chinese, posing a delicate political test for President Xi Jinping and his grip on the loyalty of the nation's elite.

The outpouring of conflicting sentiments — some Chinese have demanded a boycott of American products while others have expressed anxiety about their investments in the United States — underscores the unusual, politically charged nature of the Trump administration's latest move to counter China's drive for technological superiority.

In a hearing on Friday in Vancouver, Canadian prosecutors said the executive, Meng Wanzhou of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, faced accusations of participating in a scheme to trick financial institutions into making transactions that violated United States sanctions against Iran.

Unlike a new round of tariffs or more tough rhetoric from American officials, the detention of Ms. Meng, the company's chief financial officer, appears to have driven home the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China in a visceral way for the Chinese establishment — and may force Mr. Xi to adopt a tougher stance against Washington, analysts said. In part, that is because Ms. Meng, 46, is so embedded in that establishment herself.

Previously: Canada Arrests Huawei's Global Chief Financial Officer in Vancouver

Related: New Law Bans U.S. Government from Buying Equipment from Chinese Telecom Giants ZTE and Huawei
Australia Bans China's Huawei (and maybe ZTE) from 5G Mobile Network Project
Washington Asks Allies to Drop Huawei


Original Submission

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
  • (Score: 5, Informative) by BsAtHome on Sunday November 25 2018, @10:15AM (19 children)

    by BsAtHome (889) on Sunday November 25 2018, @10:15AM (#766126)

    Nobody, friend or foe, should buy or use equipment made in the US. The equipment is known to be backdoor'ed by three letter agencies upon simple request. You will make it a lot harder for these agencies if you do not use their equipment. Please consider your own and other's privacy before associating yourself with any US firm and equipment.

    Well, that would probably be the message sent from non-US countries who make equipment. I find the "we are the good guys" and "they are the bad guys" rhetoric very hard to believe. And then, the implied economical sanctions of "you should not buy X" coming from a government. Please solve your own problems without dragging other parties into a fight we are not part of. If you want "America first", then _you_, USA, are the one who must lift the burden. Please refrain from abusing others for your political agenda.

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Sunday November 25 2018, @10:40AM (10 children)

      by bzipitidoo (4388) on Sunday November 25 2018, @10:40AM (#766128) Journal

      Does Washington still have any credibility? Well before Trump, W. talked about spending credibility, as if it was just another form of money, in order to push the War on Iraq. And now?

      Plus, with all the private spying going on-- the walled gardens, all this data collection-- users are in a bind. So, you don't get a Huawei brand phone, you get an iPhone. All that means is someone else, Apple in this case, is recording your data.

      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @02:20PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @02:20PM (#766160)

        But this is not about consumer devices - this is about big-ticket telecommunications infrastructure equipment. Apple knows their place (which is in the consumer garden).

        Didn't Tump recently forgive Huawei (or was it ZTE?)? As soon as they make some kind of financial donation, or praise him, Trump is all kissy face with anyone (including Russia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, etc).

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @07:54PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @07:54PM (#766249)

          Trump is yucky. Gross!!!

        • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 26 2018, @03:31PM

          by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 26 2018, @03:31PM (#766458) Journal

          ZTE was going to cease operations because of the sanctions.

          Trump forgave ZTE in exchange for about half a billion from Chinese sources flowing into his businesses.

          Trump justified it with: "too many jobs lost in China" That's a nice quote to remember at election time when his third term comes around.

          --
          Fact: We get heavier as we age due to more information in our heads. When no more will fit it accumulates as fat.
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by crafoo on Sunday November 25 2018, @03:47PM (6 children)

        by crafoo (6639) on Sunday November 25 2018, @03:47PM (#766178)

        Agree 100%. In this case, it seems to me Huawei is the lesser of evils for individual users in the USA. No one at Huawei or in Chinese government can ruin your life, put you in jail, and confiscate everything you own. I understand why USA intelligence would be vehemently against CHina collecting our data, habits, and network of contacts. If I have the choice though, I'd prefer them over FBI/CIA/NSA.

        • (Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Sunday November 25 2018, @06:51PM (2 children)

          by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Sunday November 25 2018, @06:51PM (#766234) Journal

          It is extremely irritating that this point has some merit. The Red Chinese Government is very much not a friend.

          --
          В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
          • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday November 25 2018, @07:31PM (1 child)

            by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Sunday November 25 2018, @07:31PM (#766241)

            The 5-eyes nation I live in already has a telecom network supplied by Huawei. If I remember correctly the US was not best pleased at the time.

            Our problem is that while we are an ally of the US, they are considered not terribly reliable these days, and China (blatantly self interested) are influential in our region.

            We are too small to annoy the big dogs, so it's something of a balancing act.

            Based on this I suspect our government is frightened of what China might do. [newsroom.co.nz]

            This investigation is also going nowhere. [nzherald.co.nz]

            I have heard China's engagement in the region called "soft power" but there may well be a threat behind it.

            • (Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Sunday November 25 2018, @08:06PM

              by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Sunday November 25 2018, @08:06PM (#766253) Journal

              China's softpower policy can be understood by its similarity to the foreign policy concept in the US circa 1903 "Speak softly and carry a big stick"

              --
              В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
        • (Score: 1, Troll) by captain normal on Sunday November 25 2018, @07:34PM (2 children)

          by captain normal (2205) on Sunday November 25 2018, @07:34PM (#766242)

          Why are you fearful of FBI/CIA/NSA? Are you running some sort of criminal enterprise? Selling arms to terrorists? Are you an agent of a foreign government like Russia?

          --
          The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
          • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:35PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:35PM (#766280)

            No, but I'm fearful that I'll be labelled as some sort of criminal enterprise when I'm not, or selling arms to terrorists when I'm not, or an agent of a foreign government like Russia when I'm not.

            The cat is out of the bag dude, the U.S. government contributes to a whole lot of evil in the world hiding behind political correctness. Of course Trump's been shattering that illusion to bits to the sour grapes of many.

            What, you're gonna argue how relatively less evil they are to the likes of China and Russia? Don't bother, I'll concede that point, but it doesn't invalidate or excuse the above.

            • (Score: 5, Insightful) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:02PM

              by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:02PM (#766306) Journal

              My whole life, I’ve heard you’re innocent until proven guilty. But now you’re guilty until proven innocent. That is a very, very difficult standard. I say that it’s a very scary time for young men in America when you can be guilty of something that you may not be guilty of. What’s happening here is much more to do than even the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice. You can be somebody that was PERFECTO your entire life and somebody could accuse you of something. Due Process is dieing. That is one of the very, very bad things that’s taking place right now.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @04:23PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @04:23PM (#766192)

      i'm an american and i came to post something similar. clean up your own filthy backyard before you start knocking on your neighbor's door. we have a whole country of dumb asses running windows, closed source hardware back doors , phones with a whole stack of closed source spyware, nobody is teaching the kids shit except how to be ignorant slaves, and these dumb fucks want to lecture people? fuck you. you are the risk to national security.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:10PM

        by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:10PM (#766307) Journal

        I'm working very hard on that one. I'm very honored to have signed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act. Creating my Cyber Space Force. It's like my Army, Navy, Air Force & Marines, but for cyber. Separate but equal. Because it is not enough to have an American PRESENCE in cyber. We must have American DOMINANCE in cyber. Not just at the Boarder, at the everywhere!!!

    • (Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday November 25 2018, @08:15PM (4 children)

      by linkdude64 (5482) on Sunday November 25 2018, @08:15PM (#766256)

      If you could choose which culture would rule the future, which would you choose? This is literally the US saying, "Pick a side" to the rest of the world. On one hand you have the literally, objectively, demonstratively totalitarian government of China, and on the other, the "Student loans aren't free? Literally Hitler!"-tier "totalitarianism" of the USA. Which would you choose? Try not to mince words, here. Just choose: Where would you rather live, today? Pollution, police behavior, food quality, other social and environmental protections all considered. Where?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:40PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:40PM (#766284)

        Based purely on today's conditions? The U.S.

        However, we know the world isn't static. Unfortunately I can't predict the future, but the U.S. has the potential, and likelihood where things are going - even before Trump got on the scene, to get much much worse with unknown risks whereas China is already slightly above rock bottom with known risks.

        If you aren't particularly shackled by political ideals and just want a deterministic life, China's a better bet than the U.S. longer term.

      • (Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:41PM

        by fyngyrz (6567) on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:41PM (#766285) Journal

        Just choose: Where would you rather live, today? Pollution, police behavior, food quality, other social and environmental protections all considered. Where?

        That's a question founded upon a distortion of what's going on: it's irrelevant. A straw question, if you will. My answer, FWIW, is "in the US", but it doesn't change one whit based on China having more information or not.

        The tension I see is between the US surveilling its citizens, where it has and uses power (the argument about the USG having authority is an issue I'll punt on for the moment) and China surveilling those same US citizens. No one is talking about living somewhere else. We're just talking about the effects of surveillance by these parties.

        So while we do that, what is relevant? I think that's a fair question.

        China might use information they gather here, from us, to improve their economy. They might use it to improve their military if/when they dig into our MIC in general. They might use it to improve their understanding of us.

        So, their economy improves? Good for them. That's something I wish on every country.
        Their military improves? They're no threat, and it is unlikely they would want to become one. Meh.
        They understand us better? Good. They're an important trade partner.

        Do I see China, in any way, as a threat to me? Even considering they might have my info? No.

        Neither country is even slightly likely to change its behavior towards its citizens based upon having more or less information about the other country.

        Also, the idea that the USG isn't attempting to gather whatever information it can from the Chinese, by any means it can get away with, is a non-starter. Goose, gander, etc.

        The way I see it in the end is that the policies and potential actions of one's native country are by far the more legitimate concern of that country's citizens. Which is not to say that the governments in question won't use agitprop and worse to stir up their respective populations about the other. Sure they will. They always have. Seeing through that is our job, or so I see it, anyway. We sure haven't been able to change it.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:52PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:52PM (#766290)

        Based purely on the cuisine? China, of course.

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by dry on Monday November 26 2018, @06:22AM

        by dry (223) on Monday November 26 2018, @06:22AM (#766380) Journal

        Re-education camps vs being gang raped if officialdom takes a disliking to you. Social credit rating vs credit and facebook history deciding if you can work and live somewhere nice. Neither sounds very inviting, but at least China is honest about its authoritarianism.

    • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday November 26 2018, @05:19PM

      by Freeman (732) on Monday November 26 2018, @05:19PM (#766506) Journal

      Like it or not, China is a lot more Autocratic, please see the new "Social Rating System" for examples of the government abusing their power. Yes, I'm sure we have some issues, but please stop trying to paint the USA and China with the same paintbrush. I would gladly, joyously live in Russia, if my only other option was China. Not to say that Russia is all bad, but I'm an American and I doubt that would do me any favors in Russia.

      --
      Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:22AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:22AM (#766131)

    maybe just changing the device identifier that is provided when queried over the network to "cisco" or "juniper" or what not will avoid the wrath of the clandestine 3 letters?
    this way if the official backdoor doesnt work it can be chalked off as a misconfigured device ...

  • (Score: 1) by deimtee on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:51AM

    by deimtee (3272) on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:51AM (#766136) Journal

    I would rate the chances being about even of
        1/ Huawei is spying on everyone, or
        2/ They refused to put in the NSA backdoors
    But with the most likely by far being :
        3/ Both of the above.

    --
    If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:54AM (7 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday November 25 2018, @11:54AM (#766138) Journal

    Ignorant consumers around the world are already conditioned to buy the cheapest thing available, regardless of quality. That isn't going to change any time soon. The only way to undercut Huawie is to sell cheaper than Huawie. I don't think that can be done, really. The Chinese government already subsidizes most Chinese industry. Labor is cheap. If the US government starts subsidizing Huawie competition, then the Chinese gov will pour in more subsidy money. And, labor is cheap.

    The ONLY way to beat Chinese competition is with quality, but alas, we've forgotten what that means. No one is going to spend $250 bucks on something, if they can get a $50 knockoff from China.

    --
    “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
    • (Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Sunday November 25 2018, @01:39PM (1 child)

      by loonycyborg (6905) on Sunday November 25 2018, @01:39PM (#766151)

      The problem that even "knockoffs" become of better quality with time, and there are objective and subjective limits making everyone who bets on quality to eventually lose the race.

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Unixnut on Sunday November 25 2018, @03:33PM

        by Unixnut (5779) on Sunday November 25 2018, @03:33PM (#766172)

        Or in my experience, the "branded" products quality gets worse until it isn't much different to the knock offs.

        Not sure when exactly it happened, but from the 2000's onwards it seems the only thing western companies put money into is "branding". They don't bother with quality, they don't really bother with unique innovations and differentiation, now you don't buy an item, you buy "into a brand", whatever the fuck that is supposed to mean.

        As a result, most of the time you have a choice between a cheap Chinese white box item for $50, or a cheap Chinese white box item slapped with a "brand" selling for $150. For all bar a minority of shallow narcissists (or people so rich they don't care), people buy the cheaper item.

        and it isn't even just networking gear, everything from cars onwards have just become more or less generic boxes with a badge slapped on them, and then marketing folks trying to sell me on paying for the "lifestyle" the brand represents.

        The days of a brand actually signifying a reputation of some kind to do with the actual item itself, are long gone, at least in the west.

    • (Score: 2) by RamiK on Sunday November 25 2018, @02:34PM

      by RamiK (1813) on Sunday November 25 2018, @02:34PM (#766163)

      As previously mentioned [soylentnews.org] last time this came up, this isn't the consumer market but the ISP market where equipment is tested to specs over periods of months before entering deployment and must be approved by national agencies that regulate the spectrum at the very least.

      The ONLY way to beat Chinese competition is with quality

      Maybe in the consumer market. But in the ISP market that's clearly not the case as US corporations are competing by convincing countries to ban ZTE and Huawei on (dubious?) security grounds through USG channels.

      Anyhow, India joined [zdnet.com] the ban while Germany, Japan and Italy are deliberating.

      There's a better Reuters coverage of the subject is focusing on the 5g spectrum auctions and the code review Hauwei equipment is undergoing: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-telecoms-huawei-exclusive/exclusive-chinas-huawei-opens-up-to-german-scrutiny-ahead-of-5g-auctions-idUSKCN1MX1VB [reuters.com]

      The way I see it this is all just the same old trade wars. Back in April USG failed to get Hauwei off the game board by implicating them in Iranian trade sanction violations like they did with ZTE (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-huawei-doj/u-s-probing-huawei-for-possible-iran-sanctions-violations-sources-idUSKBN1HW1YG). So, now the State Department is spreading FUD to scare (or force by convincing governments to ban) ISPs into bidding for low-frequency ranges since American companies mostly focused their patents and production on those. Thus, when the dust settles and it becomes clear Hauwei and ZTE aren't spying on anyone, it would be too late since the ISPs would be already invested in the infrastructure and so they'd be forced to buy non-Chinese equipment.

      But overall we need to remind ourselves trade wars are about lose leading and the objective isn't to compete against China as it's about bleeding them dry in preparations for the negotiations table. The only companies benefiting from all of this are the likes of the European Nokia and Ericsson who win bids from third parties that don't want to pick sides and don't trust either parties' equipment over the mutual allegations. It also doesn't help the NSA and CIA been caught backdooring ISP gear on a half dozen occasions in the last couple of years...

      So, fun times for speculators!

      --
      compiling...
    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by crafoo on Sunday November 25 2018, @03:51PM

      by crafoo (6639) on Sunday November 25 2018, @03:51PM (#766180)

      Well, I agree in general. However, let's be clear: nothing built in the USA is all that high in quality. As far as consumer goods. Are CNC mills, lathes, etc are pretty good. In the consumer world, once a brand is recognized for quality, they exploit that by injecting it with annoying exploitative shit until their captured audience is almost, but not quite pissed off enough to leave. They burden their products with insane EULAs, forced data collection, and other annoying bullshit.

    • (Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Sunday November 25 2018, @04:08PM

      by cubancigar11 (330) on Sunday November 25 2018, @04:08PM (#766187) Homepage Journal

      Government "subsidising" private companies, isn't that the same as decreasing tax?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @08:03PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @08:03PM (#766252)

      "But this is not about consumer devices - this is about big-ticket telecommunications infrastructure equipment." By another AC above.
      Are you just Knee-jerking at Huawei bad Chinese, US government good. These devices are / will be installed and configured by US Telcoms and providers. Of course if you really bothered to look into it you would find that ATT, Version, Sprint, Comcast, Cox etc are all international corporations. Guess that just doesn't fit with your Breitbart, RT, Info Wars programming.

    • (Score: 2) by arslan on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:47PM

      by arslan (3462) on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:47PM (#766288)

      There are cheaper or comparably cheap labor elsewhere in Asia than just China - sure they don't have near as much population as China, but enough to matter for the subject at hand. India is an example. Indonesia is another one, though this one is harder to work with given they are predominantly Muslims which half the U.S. may be allergic to.

  • (Score: 5, Touché) by Gaaark on Sunday November 25 2018, @01:11PM (1 child)

    by Gaaark (41) on Sunday November 25 2018, @01:11PM (#766146) Journal

    Allies ask Washington to drop Windows;

    they say "We're done with this shit...let it die."
    Then Justin Trudeau cried and apologized.

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:54PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @09:54PM (#766291)

      At least Canada is progressive enough to have a lesbian prime minister.

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by linkdude64 on Sunday November 25 2018, @08:25PM (3 children)

    by linkdude64 (5482) on Sunday November 25 2018, @08:25PM (#766260)

    That's it. "Good vs evil" sure, if you want to argue against a straw man. This is asking the question, "Is there a lesser of two evils, here?" and if you have any sense in your head, you will admit that the US is indeed the lesser of two evils.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 26 2018, @03:20AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 26 2018, @03:20AM (#766358)

      ...the US is indeed the lesser of two evils.

      So you still choose an evil...

      • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday November 26 2018, @05:21PM

        by Freeman (732) on Monday November 26 2018, @05:21PM (#766507) Journal

        Sometimes, there's no other choice. Plus, choosing the lesser of two evils is a good management skill. I mean, even the Avengers would team up with Loki for the good of the Universe.

        --
        Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
    • (Score: 4, Informative) by dry on Monday November 26 2018, @06:38AM

      by dry (223) on Monday November 26 2018, @06:38AM (#766382) Journal

      The US is a lot closer to my home. The US has repeatedly shown how quick it'll throw its allies and neighbours under the bus. China at least are consistent in their evilness, and are fairly honest about it.
      Shit, this article is a good example, is the American government trying to prop up its industry, or is just mad at not having back doors in a rivals hardware and figures that since the land of the free would backdoor equipment, the evil Chinese must be doing it. Or perhaps the American President needs a loan or his daughter more Chinese trademarks.
      I'd assume if they had proof, we'd be hearing about it

(1)