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It’s become increasingly clear that Europe’s goal of keeping both its biggest trade partners happy is presenting challenges. The roll-out of future mobile networks is case in point: Beijing is threatening to retaliate against Germany if Huawei or other Chinese companies are banned from supplying 5G equipment. But the use of Chinese suppliers in 5G systems would risk provoking Donald Trump’s ire. The U.S. and China are locked in a strategic showdown, and the EU’s internal divisions mean it’s nowhere near being a distinct third pillar of the global order. As the bloc’s governments continue debating a “toolkit” of measures to minimize the risk of espionage in mobile networks, they can only pick their poison.
