We’ve been hearing about a European Union-wide ban on Chinese 5G networking equipment for quite some time now, and the European Commission (EC) has now recommended that member states exclude gear from Huawei and ZTE from their local telecom infrastructure.
The info was shared by an EC spokesperson and while it is not an official binding law, it does signal a clear step toward banning Chinese networking equipment from suppliers like Huawei and ZTE across the EU.
The EU is in the process of implementing a new round of cybersecurity targeting supply chain security and product safety. These include the Revised Cybersecurity Act (CSA 2.0), which aims to introduce a supply chain security framework to identify “high-risk suppliers” and foreign interference in critical sectors like telecommunications.
Chinese officials have previously warned of potential counteractions deeming the EU’s policies towards Chinese networking equipment vendors “discriminatory” and detrimental to EU-China trade and cooperation.