Poland and the United States have signed a joint declaration which further tightens the screws on Huawei with regards to 5G networks. The two countries are now arguing that suppliers of 5G network equipment should be thoroughly investigated before they"re allowed to be used to ensure that foreign governments don’t have a secret backdoor to spy.
It’ll be interesting to see how much Poland push back against Huawei following this declaration. The Chinese firm already has a foothold in the country with Robert Lewandowski, a footballer for Bayern Munich and the Polish national team, featuring in several of their ads. Then again, the Polish government could intensify its efforts after U.S. Vice President, Mike Pence, said that Washington was close to making a decision in adding Poland to the U.S.’ visa waiver programme.
According to Associated Press, the newly signed agreement says:
“Protecting these next generation communications networks from disruption or manipulation and ensuring the privacy and individual liberties of the citizens of the United States, Poland, and other countries is of vital importance.”
The U.S. has been keen to pressure its allies all over the globe to keep Huawei out of their national networks, commenting on the agreement, Mike Pence said that the agreement would be a “vital example” for other European countries such as the UK and the powerhouse of the EU, Germany.