Managing Contact Lists prior to a visit to China
There are additional precautions one can take prior to a visit to China. Germans are recommended to only store numbers of contacts on their devices which are strictly necessary for the duration of the visit. Also, Chinese visa applications should be filled in “as abstractly as possible, i.e. with little depth”. A new visa application form for China was introduced halfway 2019. It asks, for example, for current and past work affiliations, which would facilitate targeted corporate espionage by China. An example of China’s aggressive attitude towards data collection is the app that it reportedly has installed on the phones of everyone entering Xinjiang Province. Multiple independent investigations into the issue have allegedly shown that the app sends information such as text messages and data about contacts, the agenda, location and call history to local authorities. This mayb bring forth substantial breaches of privacy for those affected.
Huawei debate in Germany and other countries
In Germany, there is currently a debate as to whether the Chinese telecom company Huawei can supply equipment for the country’s 5G network. Those opposed to Huawei’s involvement fear that the Chinese government will pressure Huawei into tapping into sensitive data of German citizens and companies. In the Netherlands, a new guideline for telecom companies was introduced earlier this year: at the heart of the telecom networks and infrastructure, no equipment from a country that ‘intends to abuse or disable an electronic communications network or service offered in the Netherlands’ is allowed. This could potentially exclude Chinese companies from being involved in the implementation of the 5G network. Other European countries, like Belgium, have also struggled and proven indicisive regarding possible collaborations with Huawei in facilitating the new 5G internet network.
Chinese theft of trade secrets on the rise, according to US Justice Department
China has been suspected of being involved in a large proportion of U.S. trade secret thefts. U.S. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Hickey states that since 2012, over 80% of economic espionage cases investigated by the department’s National Security Division implicate Chinese involvement. U.S. officials have expressed substantial concerns regarding Chinese telecom provider Huawei. Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei has explicilty expressed that Huawei would never install a back door on its equipment, even if ordered by Chinese government officials. However, US security experts say that Huawei will have no choice but to act in accordance with the Chinese government’s requests.
