In capitalist economies, maximizing profit is the primary motive for companies, although conglomerates have been realizing the effects of their commercial activities on society and recognizing corporate responsibility.
However, it is a different story in China, where capitalism and the Chinese Communist Party converge, and the party’s autocratic nature and ideology leave no room for purely commercial activities.
So it is no surprise that governments around the world are banning Huawei Technologies equipment from their telecom networks over concerns that China might be using the company to spy on other nations. The US in August last year barred its government agencies from using Huawei and ZTE equipment, and Australia, Germany and Japan followed suit.
The Canadian government is also considering banning Huawei from its 5G network, while the Netherlands is mulling barring Huawei from bidding for the nation’s 5G frequencies.
Concerns over puppetmasters in Beijing pulling Huawei’s strings have also spread to academia. The University of Oxford on Thursday suspended new donations and sponsorships from the company, saying: “The decision has been taken in the light of public concerns raised in recent months surrounding UK partnerships with Huawei.”
While Huawei founder and chief executive Ren Zhengfei (任正非) has repeatedly rejected claims that Beijing used the firm to spy on other governments, many people doubt his words given Ren’s experience working for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, and because Chinese law empowers Beijing to compel its citizens and businesses to work for its intelligence apparatus.
Article 7 of China’s National Intelligence Law stipulates that “all organizations and citizens shall, in accordance with the law, support, cooperate with, and collaborate in national intelligence work.”
The law confirms the international community’s concerns.
It was encouraging to learn that Taiwan’s research agencies have taken action to prevent possible espionage.
The Industrial Technology Research Institute, the Institute for Information Industry and the National Applied Research Laboratories last week announced that they would restrict Huawei smartphones from accessing their networks and would make sure none of Huawei’s equipment is being used at their facilities.
However, remarks by some politicians, such as former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), have cast doubt over whether Taiwan’s leaders have the vigilance needed to protect the nation against security breaches.
Chu last month shrugged off criticisms over the city government signing a sponsorship deal with Huawei for its Christmas and New Year events, saying: “Taiwan’s democratic society cannot accept moves that attempt to interfere in commercial behaviors with ideology or political reason at every turn.”
Was Chu playing dumb or is he truly naive? For someone who has expressed his intention to run for president, hopefully the answer is neither.
Experience shows that China is skilled at carrying out its hidden agendas under the guise of commercial behavior.
While it is comforting that Chu trumpets Taiwan’s democratic values, he should also be aware of the nature of an autocratic country like China, which demands that its citizens and firms play their part in implementing the “goals of the party.” As such, like-minded people in Taiwan who share Chu’s seeming naivety should see the reality that the brouhaha surrounding Huawei is not a mere commercial issue, but one that pertains to national security.
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