AMAC Exclusive by Joshua Charles
One of the greatest success stories of the Trump administration is one you have likely never heard. It’s the story of how a former business leader turned Under Secretary of State helped prevent what many had assumed was a fait accompli: the domination of the worldwide rollout of cellular 5G wireless by Communist China.
5G represents a quantum leap forward over the current generation of cellular technology—in some cases up to ten times faster.
The implications of this transformation are far-reaching, because whatever country dominates 5G will likely dominate a host of other technologies that will depend on it—technologies like autonomous vehicles, AI, quantum computing, and many others.
In early 2019, the situation was grim for the United States and the western allies. Chinese companies like Huawei were preparing to roll out 5G networks around the world. Like many Chinese companies, Huawei is essentially a corporate arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and is subject to its National Intelligence Law, which means the government can demand Huawei hand over any data it has at any time. That means that the CCP could potentially access the personal, private, and sensitive data of people, companies, and governments around the world just like it does with its own citizens. In China, Huawei’s technology has become the backbone of the CCP’s surveillance state and “social credit system.” If they built the world’s 5G networks, they’d essentially be extending that surveillance state around the world. And yet, since the CCP was heavily subsidizing Huawei, the Chinese technology giant was able to outbid most of the competition. That’s to say nothing of the CCP’s theft of US technology and know-how. For decades, they had been using our openness against us, while restricting our access to their markets.
But then President Trump signed an executive order to crack down on Huawei equipment, empowering the federal government to block American companies from purchasing foreign made telecommunications equipment deemed to be a national security risk. In addition, President Trump nominated Keith Krach to be Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment to help carry out his policy of standing up to China. Secretary of State Pompeo gave Krach the specific charge “to develop and operationalize a global economic security strategy that drives economic growth, maximizes national security, and combats Chinese economic aggression.” Krach was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in the summer of 2019.
Read the rest of the story, here: AMAC
