Xinhua News Review: "Decoupling and Breaking Chains" Cannot Stop the Development Demands of Various Countries | South Africa | Xinhua

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 9th - Question: "Decoupling and Breaking Chains" Cannot Stop the Development Demands of Various Countries

Xinhua News Agency reporter Fan Yu

Anil Sukar, Deputy Director General of the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Coordinator of BRICS Affairs, recently stated that South Africa will not succumb to pressure from the United States to stop using Huawei's network communication equipment. Amidst the political clamor of the United States suppressing and blocking Chinese companies such as Huawei, as well as forcefully suppressing the "small circle" of China, South Africa has made a rational and pragmatic choice. It is not difficult to see such a trend: more and more countries are beginning to realize that following the United States' decoupling and disconnection from China is not feasible, and that focusing on their own development is the priority logic.

On July 17, 2017, people visited the Huawei South Africa Information and Communication Technology Innovation Experience Center located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhai Jianlan

In addition to South Africa, the Thai government is strengthening cooperation with companies such as Huawei to promote the integration of 5G with various industries in Thailand and enhance Thailand's competitive advantage; Hungary is collaborating with Huawei to continuously develop 5G networks nationwide. Hungarian Foreign Minister Szyardo stated that Hungary's stance on global telecommunications suppliers remains unchanged, that is, no manufacturer should be excluded from competition due to their country of origin; In April this year, Brazilian President Lula visited Huawei Shanghai Research Institute during his visit to China and expressed Brazil's interest in further deepening cooperation with Huawei 5G. Despite facing pressure from the United States, the Malaysian government emphasized in its planning for the future construction of 5G wireless networks that "as a sovereign country, the Malaysian government has the right to formulate its own policies without any foreign interference"

Sacrificing one's own interests and dancing with the United States means huge economic costs, and may even miss out on strategic opportunities for technological iteration. The German magazine Der Spiegel reported on the 4th that the "going to Huawei" process being considered by Germany is likely to have a heavy impact on its railway system, with the replacement of related facilities costing about 400 million euros and potentially leading to many projects being extended by 5 to 6 years. In 2020, the UK government followed the US in announcing a ban on the use of Huawei devices in 5G network construction. According to a survey by the Oxford Institute of Economics, this ban will lead to a 9% to 29% increase in deployment costs for related networks in the UK over the next 10 years. The Guardian believes that banning Huawei will drag the UK into a "slow lane" of digital development, potentially causing the UK to lose its global leading position in 5G development.

The United States and a few other countries claim that Huawei has so-called security risks, which has been proven to be a malicious smear without scientific basis. As advanced representatives of China's manufacturing industry, Huawei and other enterprises have achieved good market brand effects with their products of excellent quality, advanced technology, and reasonable prices. Their safety and reliability have been tested and recognized by the market. The German Daily Mirror reported that after years of review, the UK government, the Federal Office for Information Security in Germany, and the European Commission have not found any so-called "backdoors" in Huawei. Former Chief Economist of the World Bank and Professor of Economics at Yale University, Pinilopi Kuyanu Goldberg, pointed out that the excuse for "national security" in the United States is readily available but difficult to verify. The actions taken by the United States against China are not so much for national security, but rather to maintain its economic dominance.

If in a fair and competitive market environment, Chinese enterprises, with their products that combine high cost-effectiveness and reliability, are natural and ideal partners, Huawei and other Chinese high-tech enterprises will also gain market share that matches their competitiveness. However, this is not what the United States hopes to happen. The United States has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Huawei under the pretext of "technology network security", abusing national power to suppress China's technology industry without any bottom line, whether it is the "physical list" or the "chip ban", demonizing Chinese technology through the sale of "security anxiety", squeezing the international survival space of Chinese technology enterprises. Its so-called maintenance of "national security" is false, and maintaining its own technological hegemony is true. This hidden bottom card has long been seen by the world.

This is a photo taken on February 21, 2022 at the White House in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie

However, the suppression by the United States has had little effect in curbing China's technological progress. As Sarah Boyle Danzman, Associate Professor at the School of Global and International Studies at Indiana State University in the United States, attempting to weaponize its own advantages in the high-tech field may just be a "control illusion". The website of the bimonthly issue of National Interest in the United States pointed out in an article published at the end of July that the tightening of US technology export restrictions to China seems to have failed to prevent or slow down China's promotion of the most strategically influential artificial intelligence applications. Instead, it has reduced the revenue of US semiconductor companies and endangered their research and development budgets. There is currently no indication that the Biden administration's restrictions on exports of high-end chips, software, and machines have slowed down China's dominant position in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. On the contrary, China's efforts around technology restrictions have made astonishing rapid progress.

South Africa's refusal to abandon Huawei products represents rationality and clarity in safeguarding its own development interests. The world is currently facing digital transformation, and information and communication technology is the strategic foundation for transformation. Unlike the United States, which is selfish and artificially creates technological fragmentation and hinders global technological progress, China is providing more and better choices for the digital transformation of developing countries. In July, South African President Ramaphosa unveiled the Huawei South Africa Innovation Center in Johannesburg, stating that the establishment of the center aligns well with the South African government's governance focus on using digital technology to promote economic development. By encouraging the establishment of Huawei's South Africa Innovation Center and introducing the latest technologies from globally leading technology companies such as Huawei, South Africa and the African continent will have the opportunity for leapfrog development towards the direction of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

More and more countries dare to say no to the US's practice of dividing the world economy. This indicates that regardless of political calculations, the development trend is irreversible, and any clamor for decoupling from China cannot stop the demand for development.