US should stop being hostile to Huawei

The United States government has been stepping up its campaign to globally isolate Huawei Technologies Co as part of its assault against China.

The recent Munich Security Conference in Germany saw US heavyweight politicians demanding that its allies in Europe shun business with the Chinese telecommunications giant.

Ahead of the conference, the US Department of Justice unveiled new criminal charges against the Shenzhen-based company, accusing it of racketeering and technology theft, something Huawei rejected as "recycled, settled" cases.

The US also mounted pressure on the United Kingdom to ban the company even after a decision by the British Cabinet to approve Huawei's role in the country's 5G network.

On Feb 20, Huawei announced in London that it had secured more than 91 commercial 5G contracts worldwide, including 47 in Europe.

A failure to appreciate the national interests of countries and reliance upon hysteria above facts have left Washington's demands ignored on a wider scale, with only its close ally Australia moving to ban the company, and Japan closing in.

On the other hand, blacklisting Huawei from US markets has failed to deprive the company of core components, something that has caused disagreement in the White House. It's a tacit recognition that business with the company is in the interest of the US.

Why is the US campaign against Huawei failing? First, most countries recognize it is politically motivated by strategic US goals. While making allegations against the company, the US has failed to offer substantial evidence to its allies to justify the demand for Huawei's exclusion.

Few governments have found the White House arguments convincing or sincere. Even British intelligence services did not believe allowing Huawei to play a role in the country's 5G rollout would prove an unmanageable risk, despite a dossier given to UK officials by Washington.

Second, US politicians have been unable to offer an alternative to banning Huawei. They have been asking other countries to ban a technology that they themselves do not have.

Some officials have recommended developing a US 5G, but it would already be behind by the time it is created. Others have said the country should buy out a competitor, such as Nokia, provoking condemnation from Finland's government.

The US is also divided on its goal. Facing pressure from Silicon Valley CEOs who want to do business with Huawei, some officials have urged a more pragmatic approach, while others have been more relentless in their ambition to destroy the company.

This has resulted in a dispute over whether Washington should limit the export of more components to Huawei, with the Pentagon arguing at one point that this would hurt US innovation.

This dilemma indicates the US administration has failed to be honest with itself about Huawei, and shown little confidence in its own pursuit, which has hindered its credibility when attempting to sell its message to other countries.

With more countries refusing to ban Huawei, fewer countries in the rest of the world will be inclined to take notice.

Huawei is a company that is surviving against all odds. A relentless campaign against the company by the world's superpower has failed to dislodge it as the world's leading 5G provider.

Washington must come to terms with reality and drop this hostility or it will continue to isolate itself from the next-generation technology.

The author is a British political analyst and writer. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.