Ambassador Liu Xiaoming Delivers A Keynote Speech and Answers Questions at the Webinar with UK Think Tanks On China-Europe Relations
Ika Hartmann from British Chamber of Commerce in Germany: Because the EU has introduced new instruments to screen Chinese investments and enforced antitrust measures to create critical conditions for closer cooperation, it seems to me that now we've been talking in two different ways. How can you connect the two things? The EU wants to trade with China, EU wants to keep you as strong partner. And obviously China wants to do the same, but your level of taste is just investment from Europe in China, and what we request from China in Europe is different. We don't match each other's thoughts and accountability.
Ambassador Liu: I can say there are enormous opportunities of trade & investment collaboration with China. But the important thing is how the two sides see each other. Will they see each other as opportunities, as partner, or will they see each other as a systemic rival or a potentially hostile state? Now, look at Huawei, and the way UK treats Huawei. It is really not about a private company. The big picture is about China. How you look at Huawei really symbolizes how you look at and treat China. You know, during the debate, we should listen to people from across the spectrum. But the decision on Huawei was made in face of pressure from these 'China hawks' and 'China bashers'. You know, they all regard China as a hostile or potentially hostile country. They don't trust China, so they don't trust Chinese company. I don't know what will change when the trust was undermined. We do not want to see economic relationship to be politicized. But the other sides, who politicize the economic relations, join the United States to sanction Chinese company and to take China as a threat and a hostile country. How could you do normal business when the other side treats you as a potentially hostile country?
David Marsh: Are you saying China is generally blameless for the fact that we don't trust you? Or are you saying that there could have been things that China could have done better in order to produce more trust? You see the great difficulty for the other side for not trusting you, what could you do?
Ambassador Liu: We have to analyze the project case by case. Huawei has done everything they can. You know, you don't trust Huawei. You said Huawei had security problems. Then Huawei set up its own centre to analyze the security risk. And the center is managed by the British people, not people from Huawei. It was British technicians who assessed the risks. Then they came to the conclusion that they believe the risk was manageable and controllable. So that's why the UK government made the decision earlier this year though they gave Huawei 35% market cap, but they still think the risk is manageable. Huawei also tries to improve their technology to strengthen security. And when we say security risk, it is not necessarily from a country, maybe from a group or organization. So they want to make UK 5G network infrastructure more secure and more resilient. They've done their best. I do not see Huawei has anything we should complain about.
