Romania approves bill to bar China, Huawei from 5G networks

Romania’s centrist government on Thursday approved a United States-backed bill that effectively bars China and Huawei from taking part in development of its 5G network, a member of the IT&C and National Security Committee told Reuters.

Europe has emerged as a battleground in the technology ‘Cold War’ playing out between China and Washington and Huawei’s European competitors, Ericsson and Nokia, could become a supplier duopoly should the Chinese company be shut out.

“The government just approved this bill of paramount importance for Romania, sealing a 2019 memorandum signed in Washington, meaning that China and Huawei are ruled out from any would-be partnership on 5G with the Romanian state,” Pavel Popescu said.

Under the memorandum, the two governments said in August 2019 that: “as part of risk-based security approach, careful and complete evaluation of 5G vendors is necessary.”

Romania was a staunch Washington ally even before it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004. Washington sees Huawei as an arm of China’s Communist Party’s global surveillance machinery.