Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant banned in the U.S. and Europe, seeks to strengthen ties with Mexico. In recent months, Mexico’s secretary of Science and Technology, secretary of Energy, Anti-Corruption secretary and members of the Mexican Senate have held key meetings with senior executives from the Chinese firm.
The new head of Huawei Mexico, David Tao, has made it clear that the company wants to deepen and expand their operations in telecommunications, power grids and artificial intelligence.
During the last two decades, Huawei has generated bipartisan concern in America. The company has been charged with allegations including espionage, racketeering and conspiracy to steal American trade secrets. Huawei has denied this and other allegations against it.
Despite this background, Huawei has increased its growth fivefold in Mexico since 2022, has invested $64 million in the country and has installed a technical support center that covers Mexico and Latin America.
Mexico — America’s neighbor and largest trading partner — has also welcomed a Chinese state-owned telecommunications company, Unicom, offering it a broad license to operate freely for 30 years. Huawei and Unicom maintain close cooperation in promoting AI in sectors such as government and manufacturing in different countries.
Huawei has been charged with violating U.S. sanctions by working with North Korea and Iran. Last year, the European Parliament shut down a major infiltration of Huawei’s lobbyists into one of the most important centers of political power in the region. Authorities reported cases of bribery and corruption involving the communist technological giant.
Huawei has managed to position itself as a leader in 5G technology. However, it remains under the shadow of distrust due to allegations of control and collection of private and highly sensitive information. In 2019, the Trump administration instructed all government agencies to eradicate the use of telecommunication equipment made by Huawei because this technology presented a serious threat to national security.
The Chinese company grew under the approval of the Communist Party. It was officially launched in 1987 and during the years has grown from a telephone importer to a global conglomerate valued at $178 billion with a presence in 170 countries.
Last week, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced that it will vote to bolster telecom border security with Mexico and Canada. The rules would also enhance foreign ownership reporting, mandate disclosures on the use of untrusted equipment or service providers and require carriers to adhere to cybersecurity standards, among other measures.
While the U.S. seeks to improve its telecom security, Mexico must reverse and review its relationship with the Chinese company that wants to expand its technological eyes and ears at the border. This is the right time to make the right decisions.
Arturo McFields, The Hill
