Huawei and ZTE from the country’s 5G telecommunications network will be a blow to an already tense relationship with China, experts warn.Although it’s not yet clear if China will retaliate beyond strong condemnation of Canada’s decision, experts say the possibility exists that the risk has increased for Canadian travellers and businesses in China.“This will be seen as a slap in the face to the Chinese government,” said Christopher Parsons, a global security and cybersecurity researcher with the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab.“If I were a Canadian company and had a lot of business in China right now, I’d be calling my accountants and figuring out what my exposure was, with some concern that there might be the prospect … of a retrospective ban on one of our companies as well.” Canada formally bans China’s Huawei, ZTE from 5G networks The decision was also largely expected, even though it took years for the government to act.
Canada is the last of the Five Eyes allies — which include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand — to restrict or ban the Chinese telecom giants over national security concerns.Repeated delays in a decision by the government led Canadian telecommunications players to ink deals with other technology companies over the last three years, effectively freezing Huawei out of the market in the absence of a formal government decision.Yet China’s history of aggressive diplomacy and retaliation against several countries, including Canada, has observers concerned.“There’s a risk of retaliation in this case, but it is still very uncertain” if it will happen, said Kristen Hopewell, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global.