Connect with us

Business

No need to rush - This autumn is not the time for premature, short-sighted decisions

SHARE:

Published

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Abraham Liu, Huawei Chief Representative to the EU Institutions (pictured).

"Very much like the rest of 2020, this autumn and winter will also be different from normal times. Regrettably, the Coronavirus Pandemic will continue to test our resilience and adaptability for the foreseeable future. As we enter Europe’s cold season, many among us will be anxious about the months ahead. Yet as in every complicated situation, there is also hope" - writes  Abraham Liu, Huawei Chief Representative to the EU Institutions

"Looking at what we have jointly achieved in the earlier part of 2020, I cannot but also be optimistic: progress on vaccines is coming along impressively. We have been able to curb the mortality of the virus. Overall, we now know so much more about this disease than we did in March. Yes, the weeks ahead will be difficult. But I am confident that all over Europe, we will overcome the virus and we will return to normality.

The other day I visited the House of European History in Brussels. History, and Europe’s tumultuous history in particular, teaches us that nothing can be taken for granted. At numerous times in the past, humanity has experienced a loss of knowledge and technology. It then took enormous efforts and a very long time to get back what had been stupidly destroyed. Let me be clear: There exists no automatism that we can retain our current level of technological development. Without stability and predictability, there is no progress. If the Pandemic teaches us something, it is that technology is humankind’s best ally to beat the virus and also to prevent similar viruses threatening us all in the future. We have no other viable option but to invest in technology and to bank on progress!

Whether the United States and China have now entered Graham T. Allison’s famous “Thucydides Trap” is not for me to judge. What I do believe and advocate though is that Europe has a key role and responsibility in ensuring stability in the months ahead. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel rightly point out that the EU is not an object, but a subject in international relations. International companies such as Huawei need a strong Europe to shape an inclusive tech-world of tomorrow. A world in which Europe leads on tech-regulation and in which new technologies are deployed in line with European values and principles.

The European Union can only be strong if its 27 Member States also stand up to its principles and do not give in to short-term pressures. The EU toolbox on 5G Cybersecurity is an intelligent and encompassing approach which gives EU countries appropriate time to come to their conclusions. This solid European method should not be undermined by third parties ahead of elections. Wherever European governments receive pressure these days to go down the path of potentially discriminatory actions violating EU law, I would like to tell them: take a deep breath. Do take your time. Do not rush into actions you might not have thought through.

Let me be clear: Huawei is deeply committed to Europe. We are here to stay and we will invest heavily in Europe’s ICT ecosystem. In the last 20 years, Huawei has decisively contributed to the successful digital transformation of societies all across Europe. Just look at Poland and Romania: in both countries Huawei has provided secure, fast and affordable telecom networks that are the backbone of the impressive economic growth both Poland and Romania have experienced in recent years. In Warsaw and in Bucharest, Huawei has set up large regional operations employing thousands of people.

Advertisement

Huawei has the know-how and the determination to team up with the European Union as a key partner to deploy global standards on Cybersecurity, to make the European Green Deal a reality and to partner with the continent’s automotive industry to jointly reinvent mobility.

I believe that in the not too distant future we will be looking back on the year 2020 as a moment of accelerated transition where some key players took a longer breath to take the right decisions when history called upon them. Take this deep breath and think for a moment before giving in to short-sighted pressure! "

Share this article:

EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter.

Trending