Chinese ambassador accused of threatening German car industry if Huawei is frozen out
- Diplomat Wu Ken warns ‘there will be consequences’ if the Chinese telecoms giant is excluded and floats possibility of German cars being banned on safety grounds
- German politicians are seeking to pass a bill to exclude ‘untrustworthy’ firms from 5G network amid ongoing security fears surrounding company
The Chinese ambassador in Berlin has stirred up a fresh controversy over the tech giant Huawei after he threatened “consequences” if it was excluded from Germany.
Wu Ken’s comments – in which he pointed to the importance of the Chinese market to Germany’s car industry – came amid an intense debate about the company’s role in building 5G networks, which the United States has warned poses a security threat.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has been widely accused of bowing to Chinese pressure after she ruled out banning Huawei from the country’s 5G network.
Lawmakers from her ruling coalition are seeking to override her decision with a bill that would impose a ban on “untrustworthy” 5G vendors without explicitly naming Huawei.
On Saturday the ambassador said: “If Germany were to take a decision that leads to Huawei’s exclusion from the German market, there will be consequences. The Chinese government will not stand idly by.”
