24 BEIJING REVIEW AUGUST 29, 2019 http://www.bjreview.comS
weltering temperatures may have
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but for new Prime Minister Boris
Johnson, the heat is still on to deliver Brexit,
the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU),
by October 31.
Less than a week into the job, Johnson
has spent his time carefully cultivating an
optimistic, strong and ruthlessness im-
age, everything critics say his predecessor
lacked.
Johnson has already highlighted the
need for the UK to invest in its infrastruc-
ture networks if it is to keep its competitive
advantage post-Brexit, pledging “fantastic
full fiber broadband sprouting in every
household” by 2025.
By insisting that the UK will meet its lat-
est deadline with “no ifs, no buts,” Johnson
has overseen a seismic shift in policy
direction. He has brutally cut 12 cabinet
ministers, replacing them with a squad of
loyalists and Brexiteers, demanding that
they work under the assumption that re-
negotiating former Prime Minister Theresa
May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement is
unlikely.
According to cabinet minister Michael
Gove, “no-deal is now a very real prospect.”
The new prime minister has reportedly
instructed Gove to chair no-deal meetings
daily until Brexit is delivered and instructed
new Chancellor Sajid Javid to step up
preparations for it, the latter promising “sig-
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Force officers and possible infrastructure
for port improvements.
Whether this is a bullish bluff aimed at
unsettling Michel Barnier, European Chiefsoftened its position by granting the com-
pany a temporary license to trade. The
issue was then further complicated by
the announcement in early July that the
ban would be relaxed further, something
analysts have described as a possible bar-
gaining chip for trade talks between China
and the U.S. that have just restarted.
The indecision has negatively affected
British businesses, with one of the coun-
try’s network operators O2 UK forced to
choose Ericsson and Nokia technology
over Huawei because of the government’s
muddled position.
“At the very least, we need clarity on
who we can work with and under what
circumstances,” O2 UK’s parent company
Telefonica UK CEO Mark Evans told the
British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC).
“Not having that clarity is frustrating be-
cause it could undoubtedly slow us down
in either our decision-making or our ex-
ecution,” Evans explained. “So, I would still
encourage the government to conclude
their review and finalize their judgment
ASAP.”
Huawei has categorically denied that
its technology poses any kind of danger,
assuring ministers that it is safe. Huawei’s
Vice President Victor Zhang said the com-
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work with network operators to roll out 5G
across the UK.”
Already, two UK network operators
Vodafone and BT Group’s EE have success-
fully used Huawei’s equipment in their 5G
networks without a hitch, while more re-
cently, the Science and Technology Select
Committee of the House of Commons
chaired by Member of Parliament Norman
Lamb found “no technical grounds” for ex-
cluding Huawei from the UK’s 5G network.
“Following my committee’s recent
evidential session, we have concluded that
there are no technical grounds for exclud-
ing Huawei entirely from the UK’s 5G or
other telecommunications networks. The
benefits of 5G are clear and the removalNegotiator for the United Kingdom Exiting
the European Union, and his team in
Brussels, Belgium, or a bold new strategy,
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has been seriously prepared.
If it is to be accomplished in a few
months’ time, contentious issues such
as enabling customs checks and ensur-
ing no border between the Republic of
Ireland and Northern Ireland, must be re-
solved. Technology has been raised by the
European Research Group (ERG) as a pos-
sible “unique solution” to these issues, with
a mix of big data and smart technology
touted as a method for facilitating friction-
less trade.Confusing U.S. ban
The revamping of networks would have
been easier to implement if the UK had
begun rolling out 5G across the country
as planned. Chinese telecommunications
company Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.
had been given the green light in April to
install its equipment in the network, some-
thing that would have made a technology-
based Brexit possible. But constant flip-
flopping by May has delayed this to such
an extent that the government no longer is
able to say if or when it will begin.
Prior to losing his position in Johnson’s
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Wright stated that the government was “not
yet in a position” to decide on Huawei’s
future, citing the U.S. ban on selling com-
ponents and technology to the company
effective since May as a cause for concern.
Wright said the U.S. stance “could have
a potential impact on the future avail-
ability and reliability of Huawei’s products
along with market impact, and so there
are relevant considerations in determining
Huawei’s involvement in the network.”
Like many, the British Government has
been perplexed by the U.S. administra-
tion’s policy toward Huawei. Having initially
enforced the ban, the U.S. immediately7KHóQHZóSULPHóPLQLVWHU·VóGHFLVLRQóRQó+XDZHLóZLOOóEHóFUXFLDOóIRUóSRVW%UH[LWó8.ó
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Brexit and Huawei
WORLD
The author is an editorial
writer for China Focus