Germany's decision draws strong opposition

BERLIN — The Chinese embassy in Germany on Thursday voiced strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to Germany's decision to gradually remove Chinese telecom components from its 5G networks.

Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior announced on its official website on Thursday that the ministry has agreed with the nation's mobile network operators Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica to exclude Chinese companies such as Huawei or ZTE from the nation's 5G network products, citing so-called security risks.

The three operators are asked to stop using all critical components made by Huawei and ZTE in their 5G core networks by the end of 2026. The operators are also required to replace Huawei and ZTE's 5G network management systems in 5G access and transmission infrastructure by the end of 2029.