The source says that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce may tighten import controls, which is why Nokia and Ericsson will not be able to sell products manufactured in the Celestial Empire in third countries. It is noted that such measures can be introduced in the event that the use of 5G equipment from Chinese manufacturers is prohibited in the EU member states. Nokia and Ericsson are among the largest suppliers of telecommunications equipment and each has large manufacturing facilities in China. Tightening import controls could seriously harm European vendors.

We will remind, last week the UK, which withdrew from the EU, announced that telecom operators in the country will be prohibited from using Huawei equipment in the construction of 5G networks. At the same time, operators should stop buying telecom equipment from a Chinese vendor by the end of 2020, and completely exclude it from their networks by 2027.    

The European Union has taken a softer stance on Huawei, issuing 5G cybersecurity guidelines and allowing alliance member countries to independently determine the level of restrictions on the use of equipment from the Chinese manufacturer. The final decision of all 27 EU countries is expected to be published soon.

As a reminder, the US government accuses Huawei of collaborating with the Chinese government and the military, suggesting that the company’s equipment is used for espionage. In this regard, the American authorities are doing everything possible to influence their allies, pushing them to impose bans on the use of 5G equipment from Huawei and some other companies from the Middle Kingdom.