Poland signs agreement with US to shore up 5G security

The US and Poland signed an agreement on 5G security, effectively barring Chinese companies from participating in building 5G networks in one of the largest markets in central Europe.

The agreement was signed by Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish Prime Minister, and Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to Warsaw in place of President Trump, who stayed behind to deal with the expected landing of Hurricane Dorian. The presidential visit was made to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Hitler’s invasion of Poland.

The two parties of the agreement pledged to protect “these next generation communications networks from disruption or manipulation and ensuring the privacy and individual liberties of the citizens of the United States, Poland, and other countries is of vital importance.”

When it comes to supplier selection, the agreement says, “we believe that all countries must ensure that only trusted and reliable suppliers participate in our networks to protect them from unauthorised access or interference.” Though it does not name China or Huawei, the criteria listed for “rigorous evaluation” read almost tailor-made for this purpose.

Specifically, suppliers should be evaluated on: whether they are controlled by a foreign government and subject to independent judicial review; whether they have a transparent ownership structure; whether they have a track-record of ethical corporate behaviour; and whether they are “subject to a legal regime that enforces transparent corporate practices”.

Other US officials were more straight-forward. “We recognize 5G networks will only be as strong as their weakest link,” said Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, in a statement quoted by Associated Press. “We must stand together to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from using subsidiaries like Huawei to gather intelligence while supporting China’s military and state security services – with our technology.”

Poland has been one of the more vocal European countries calling for a ban on Huawei, especially after a Huawei employee was arrested earlier this year charged for spying. The country’s officials had called for a coordinated NATO-EU action. But with any EU-wide 5G security measures not expected to be in place by October and member states given another year to test the measures, Poland looked to the US for a faster solution. The two countries have strong cultural ties. “Nearly 10 million Americans trace their heritage to Poland”, Pence tweeted.

The Polish officials earlier conceded that they lacked legal tools to ban Huawei from the country’s private sector. This agreement would deter such an interest from telecom companies in private ownership.

The agreement would also be a significant step for the US to get Europe, including the UK, on board its battle with China and with Huawei. Pence called it “vital example for the rest of Europe on the broader question of 5G.”