Chinese Embassy deplores Romania's rejection of Huawei's 5G equipment authorization

Chinese Embassy in Romania expressed deep regret and serious concern on Saturday about the decision by Romanian government to reject Huawei's submission for authorization of 5G telecom equipment, calling such a move undermine fair competition and the rule of law and will harm the interests of the Romanian people and China-Romanian economic and trade cooperation.

The remarks were made after the Romanian government issued on February 29 an official announcement in the government gazette, rejecting Huawei's submission for authorization of its 5G gear. The Romanian government claimed that this decision was taken "based on law 163/2021 regarding the adoption of measures related to information and communication infrastructures of national interest and the conditions for the implementation of 5G networks," which entered into force in June, 2021, according to media reports.

Since the enactment of the law, the Chinese Embassy in Romania has repeatedly conveyed its position to relevant parties such as the Romanian government, political parties, and the parliament, expressing serious concerns. "We firmly oppose the exclusion of any country or enterprise based on non-technical standards or discriminatory clauses and firmly oppose actions that undermine the principles of fair competition and the rule of law," the Chinese Embassy said in a statement on Saturday.

Huawei has been investing and operating in Romania for 20 years, strictly adhering to Romanian laws and regulations, and maintaining a good track record in network security.

Moreover, the company has actively participated in the construction of Romania's communication networks, committed to promoting information and communication technology cooperation between China and Romania, creating thousands of job opportunities, and making positive contributions to Romania's fiscal revenue, digital economic development, and information infrastructure construction, the Chinese Embassy said.

It is believed that if Romania provides a favorable market environment, Huawei can make a greater contribution to the development of information and communication technology in Romania, and Chinese investment in Romania will also expand further, benefiting Romanian people, said the embassy.

Conversely, failure to provide such an environment would result in substantial harm to the interests of the Romanian people and the economic and trade cooperation between the two nations, the embassy said.

Speaking on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Romania this year, the embassy said that the traditional friendship between the two countries and the achievements in economic and trade cooperation have been hard won. 

Cooperation between both sides, based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, is in line with the common interests of both countries. "We hope that Romania will consider long-term interests, adhere to the principles of fairness, justice, and non-discrimination, and create a favorable environment for Chinese businesses to invest and operate in Romania. It is essential to uphold practical cooperation between both sides with concrete actions," the embassy said.

The Chinese government will continue to firmly defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, the embassy noted.