U.S. could consider using Huawei equipment for overseas troops

The U.S. Congress has devised a provision suggesting that when Washington is deploying American troops or key military equipment in foreign countries, it should take into account whether those countries are using 5G telecom technology from Chinese companies including Huawei. South Korea, which has been under pressure from the U.S. to not use Huawei equipment will likely face more burden.

According to the U.S. Congress on Sunday, the Senate and the House of Representatives included a provision to that effect in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021 that they jointly drafted. The bill will be deliberated in Congress soon.

Under the bill, the U.S. Defense Department should preemptively consider from now risks that 5G networks in those countries could pose to U.S. troops, equipment and operation when deploying a battalion or larger size military unit, or major military equipment for a long term. The bill specifically mentioned Chinese telecom companies such as Huawei and ZTE as firms that could “pose risks.”

The U.S. has been pressuring its allies including South Korea to not use technology from Chinese companies, citing the concern that such technology could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party. In South Korea, LG Uplus is using Huawei equipment in its relay stations.


Jae-Dong Yu jarrett@donga.com