Huawei’s banned, but where’s the backlash in New Zealand?
- Sources say there has been no uptick in overt racism or economic turbulence
- But some observers feel the country has been caught up in the US-China trade war, and there has been more debate over Beijing’s ties with Wellington
The latest dispute – in this case involving a fledgling 5G network, new cybertechnology and perceived national security concerns – came after a challenging two years of diplomatic ties that have been tested by allegations of economic espionage, questionable political donations and at least one instance of physical intimidation.
Even so, public reaction to the ban on Huawei has been mixed, with some residents placing pragmatism over politics.
“Business shall just be business,” said Frank Su, a Chinese New Zealander. “Who has better IT solutions, who can offer better services, who can improve internet speed? Why stop dealing with [Huawei]?”
The recent controversy involves Spark New Zealand, a local telecoms operator, which on Wednesday was blocked by the government from using Huawei equipment for a new 5G network. Spark said it had been told by Andrew Hampton, director general of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), that it was not allowed to use Huawei’s 5G equipment because it would “raise significant national security risks”.
