On 26 February 2019, The Euractive and some other EU watching media published an article by H.E. Ambassador Zhang Ming, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, entitled “Digital Iron Curtain Makes No Sense in 5G Era”, the full text is following:

2019年2月26日，驻欧盟使团团长张明大使在《欧洲动态》等欧盟媒体发表署名文章《让合作成为5G时代的关键词》，全文如下：

Digital Iron Curtain Makes No Sense in 5G Era

让合作成为5G时代的关键词

Recently, 5G technology and its security have been on everyone’s lips in Europe. Quite often, a Chinese company was mentioned. As Chinese Ambassador to the EU, I do not intend to speak for a company. I prefer to share my views from a broader perspective.

最近很多欧洲朋友在讨论5G技术，特别是其安全问题，很多内容涉及对中国华为公司的质疑。华为是一家高度国际化、专业化的民营企业。近期，华为负责人已多次就有关问题表达了看法与关切。作为中国驻欧盟大使，我愿从更宏观的角度与大家分享中方的看法。

5G technology is a product of global innovation and cooperation. Its industrial, supply and value chains are so widely spread and interlinked that almost everyone has a stake in it. Drawing an iron curtain would therefore have an impact on all, Chinese, Europeans, Americans, and others alike. Such an attempt would upset global economic and scientific cooperation, undermine the principles of free trade and fair competition, disrupt market order, and eventually, hurt the interests of every consumer.

5G技术是国际社会开放合作的产物，是惠及整个世界的高科技创新成果。5G技术的全球产业链、供应链、价值链高度融合，已形成“你中有我、我中有你”的利益共同体。如果人为割裂或制造“铁幕”，受影响的不是一家或几家中国企业，恐怕还有包括欧美在内的很多国家企业及其员工的未来。这会破坏多边经济科技合作体系，破坏自由贸易与公平竞争原则，干扰正常市场秩序，最终损害的是各国消费者的利益。

It is perfectly understandable to see unease about the potential vulnerability of 5G, as it is indeed opening a brand-new horizon in our daily life. No country can afford to be naïve on this. For each and every 5G company, meeting high security standards holds the key to customer trust and sustainable development. I could not think of any company which would like to ruin itself by being slack on security issues. Whether there are security risks or not requires a well-informed and facts-based technical judgment, not politically motivated bashing or fear-mongering, still less pressuring and coercion.

5G技术将开创“万物互联”时代，与人类未来生活的方方面面息息相关，其安全性受到广泛关注很正常，没有哪一个负责任的国家会在此问题上“天真”。对于任何一家从事相关技术和设备研发的企业而言，坚持安全高标准是赢得客户信任、实现可持续发展的前提条件，没有哪一家企业愿意在此问题上自毁长城。归根到底，这是个技术问题，应根据事实做出科学的分析判断，而不是根据地缘政治考量去“扣帽子”、“打板子”，制造恐慌心理，甚至施压胁迫。

It is a sad truth that our world is imbued with security challenges. Cyber insecurity is one of them and has been with us ever since the invention of the Internet. To keep our cyberspace safe and secure, more action is needed from both public and private sectors, and global cooperation and coordination is the only right way to go. It is even more so in a 5G era. Discrediting, pressurizing or putting restrictions on a selective few would simply not work. Such discriminatory moves serve no one’s good.

China and the EU have a wide range of shared interests in defending cyber security. The EU has over the years taken substantial steps to protect cyber security and data privacy, while China has always been committed to fighting all forms of cyber crimes. To enhance communication on cyber security, we need to put into good use the existing dialogue mechanisms, be it multilateral ones within the United Nations or bilateral ones between China and the EU.

我们生活在一个充满安全威胁的时代。网络安全是复杂棘手的全球性挑战，只能通过国际社会合作应对，5G时代更是如此。抹黑、施压或单独对某一国的企业设限丝毫无助于解决问题，这种歧视性的做法只会害人害己。中国始终是网络安全的坚定维护者，一贯反对并坚决打击任何形式的网络窃密等犯罪行为。欧盟在保护网络安全与数据隐私方面也做了大量工作。在应对网络安全挑战方面，中欧有广泛利益，应该保持有效沟通。事实上，无论是联合国系统内，还是中欧之间，都有关于网络安全的对话机制，应该善加利用。

Some European friends have a misperception of China’s National Intelligence Law. Like any other legislation, the National Intelligence Law should be viewed as an indivisible whole. It provides that China’s intelligence work must be law-based, give full respect to human rights and uphold the legitimate rights and interests of individuals and organizations, while it stipulates that individuals and organizations shall support and assist with national intelligence work. Therefore, it is advisable to look at the law in a holistic way rather than in a one-sided and out-of-context way. The Chinese government calls on Chinese companies operating overseas to strictly observe laws and regulations of the host country, has and will never ask Chinese companies to engage in illegal activities.

一些欧洲朋友对中国《国家情报法》存在误读。任何一部法律都是不可割裂的有机整体，《国家情报法》也是如此。它规定任何组织和公民应依法支持、协助和配合国家情报工作，同时也明确规定，国家情报工作应依法进行，充分尊重和保障人权，维护个人和组织的合法权益。对此应全面看待，不能断章取义、片面解读。中国政府一贯鼓励和倡导中国企业在海外经营必须严格遵守当地法律法规，从未也不会要求中国企业从事违法活动。

In the past 40 years and more, China-EU cooperation has come a long way. Chinese companies value the EU market, because of its openness and huge opportunities, and more importantly, because of the EU’s firm commitment to multilateralism and the rules-based global order. It is our hope and belief that the EU will continue to act in the spirit of fairness and non-discrimination. China stands ready to work together with the EU toward a 5G era for the prosperity of all.

中欧合作走过了40余年。中国企业一向重视欧盟市场，看重的是这里开放的营商环境与巨大合作机遇，更看重的是欧盟捍卫多边主义与基于规则的国际秩序的坚定立场。我们期待并相信，欧盟会继续维护公平、公正、非歧视的市场原则，为中欧在5G时代加强合作、分享机遇、共迎挑战提供充分保障。