Germany is not going for a general ban on Chinese telecom equipment

Germany will not introduce a general ban on the sale of telecom equipment from Chinese manufacturers. The German Ministry of Economic Affairs says it wants to make a decision on a case-by-case basis, a spokesperson told Reuters news agency.

Last week, the US telecom regulator FCC decided to ban the sale of all new telecom equipment and security cameras from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. According to the government agency, those devices pose a risk to national security.

Reuters has asked the German Ministry of Economic Affairs whether it wants to introduce a similar ban. A spokesman for the ministry says that this is not the case. The government agency does want to make a decision on a case-by-case basis.

That approach seems to be in line with the new guidelines in a strategy paper from the ministry, which was viewed by Reuters on Thursday. Among other things, the document recommends stricter controls on the use of components from authoritarian states. It mainly concerns the use of those components in transport, healthcare and other important sectors. It is also recommended to check German investments in Chinese companies if they are active in the security sector or are suspected of human rights violations.