【By Observer News, Zhang Jingjuan】 While the world is racing to develop 6G technology, Germany has been pushing for "digital sovereignty" by implementing a "dual decoupling".

According to Bloomberg, on November 13th, local time, German Chancellor Merkel stated at a business meeting in Berlin that Huawei and other Chinese suppliers would be completely excluded from the country's 6G network construction. She also said that Germany would discuss with France to reduce reliance on China and the United States as well as large tech companies.

She revealed that the German government had already decided that wherever possible, components would be replaced, such as replacing components in the 5G network with products produced independently in Germany. She further claimed, "We will not allow any components from China to appear in the 6G network."

This statement continued the tone of Germany's policy towards China in 2024. At that time, Germany cited non-existent potential security risks to announce the gradual removal of components from Chinese communication companies like Huawei and ZTE from the 5G network, and reached agreements with several operators, planning to implement it in two stages: removing Chinese technology from the core network by 2026, and completely eliminating equipment from Chinese manufacturers such as communication towers, transmission lines, and antennas by 2029.

However, the "lagging implementation" of the policy has caused dissatisfaction within the EU, leading to criticism from hardliners in the European Commission who are against China. Due to the slow progress of German operators in replacing Chinese equipment, nearly 60% of telecommunications equipment still comes from China, and Huawei has become a preferred partner for German operators due to its higher cost-effectiveness.

The pressure from the EU level is escalating. According to insiders, Henna Virkkunen, the executive vice president of the European Commission responsible for technological sovereignty, hopes to upgrade the 2020 recommendation of stopping the use of "high-risk suppliers" in mobile networks into a legally binding mandatory regulation.

Although the decision-making power over telecommunications infrastructure belongs to each member state government, Virkkunen's proposal will force member states to follow the Commission's security guidelines. If this suggestion becomes a legally binding clause, member states that do not comply may face infringement lawsuits and economic penalties.

German Chancellor Merkel IC photo

To accelerate the process of "de-Chinaization", Germany is considering using public funds to pay for the operators. Bloomberg reported last month that the German government is considering using public funds to provide "compensation" to German telecom operators, encouraging them to replace Huawei's equipment.

The amount is still under discussion, and Berlin has not yet decided whether to replace it in one go or in phases. Replacing Huawei's equipment alone would cost more than 2 billion euros (approximately RMB 16.5 billion). Some proposals suggest that the government may use defense or infrastructure special funds to subsidize telecom companies.

Earlier this year, Merkel called for "any means necessary" to enhance Germany's competitiveness, promoting the establishment of a 500 billion euro special infrastructure fund, which has been dubbed a "fiscal rocket launcher" by the market. Now, if there is another major expenditure, it is inevitable to trigger domestic doubts about the efficiency of public funding.

At the same time, while building a "wall" against Chinese technology, Merkel extended an olive branch to France. He said that next week, he would discuss "getting rid of dependence" with French President Macron at the Digital Sovereignty Summit.

"We will explore feasible measures with the industry, not only to achieve autonomy from China, but also to get rid of dependence on the United States and large tech companies," Merkel said.

However, he ruled out the possibility of complete decoupling from China, admitting, "China is Germany's second-largest trading partner, we can't do that."

It is worth noting that the German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister, Lars Klingbeil, leader of the Social Democratic Party, will visit China next week. German media previously reported that during this visit, Klingbeil will participate in activities such as the fourth high-level Sino-German financial dialogue.

Regarding the "security accusations" from the EU and Germany, China has already made a serious response: The European Commission constantly claims that Chinese communication companies such as Huawei and ZTE pose a security risk, but has provided no evidence, which is a typical presumption of guilt. China firmly opposes this. The fact is that Chinese communication companies like Huawei and ZTE have operated in Europe for many years, not only have they never harmed European national security, but have also effectively promoted the development of the European telecommunications sector, creating considerable economic and social effects. Politicizing trade, economic, and technological issues will only disrupt normal technical exchanges and cooperation, which does not benefit any party.

This article is exclusive to Observer News, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572396803816849970/

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