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| Chinese tech giant Huawei, now in the middle of US-Chinese tensions, has looked to bolster its ties in Africa (AFP Photo/Pau Barrena) |
Paris (AFP) - As the US leads a drive for the West to shun Huawei over security fears, the Chinese tech giant has sought to strengthen its position in Africa, where it is already well-established.
Huawei has
taken a leading role in developing next-generation 5G mobile phone networks
around the world.
But it has
been in turmoil since Washington charged its equipment could serve as a Trojan
horse for Chinese intelligence services.
The world's
second smartphone marker fiercely denies the allegations, but the US has urged
countries to avoid it and several companies have distanced themselves.
They
include Google, whose Android operating system runs most smartphones.
And as
Washington and Beijing duke it out in an escalating trade war, nations around
the world are faced with the dilemma of having to choose a side between the
world's two top economies.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin weighed in on Friday, slamming Washington's attempt to
"unceremoniously push" Huawei out of the global market. Earlier in
the week, Russia's MTS telecoms giant signed a deal with Huawei to develop a 5G
network in the country.
Chinese
President Xi Jinping, a guest of Putin at an economic forum in Saint
Petersburg, said China was "ready to share technological inventions with
all partners, in particular 5G technology".
But will
the escalating fight lead to African nations having to choose between China --
the continent's top trade partner -- and the US?
"For
African countries this trade war may end up a binary choice. It will be very
difficult for Africa to just ignore" it, said Aly-Khan Satchu, an
independent economic analyst based in Nairobi.
'Very
aggressive strategy'
Huawei, now
a major factor in US-Chinese tensions, has looked to strengthen its ties in
Africa, last week signing an agreement to reinforce its cooperation with the
African Union.
"This
was a way to show that Huawei is still present in Africa and that they want to
remain a major player by positioning themselves in this very important growth
sector," said Ruben Nizard, an economist and Sub-Saharan Africa specialist
at the French financial services firm Coface.
The deal
comes after the French newspaper Le Monde reported in 2018 that China had spied
on the AU's headquarters in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, citing sources
inside the organisation.
The report
said the spying began in 2012 after the completion of the AU's new headquarters
that was financed by China, and was only noticed when technicians discovered
data on the building's servers was being sent to Shanghai.
Both China
and the AU reject the allegations.
Huawei has
established itself across Africa since launching in Kenya in 1998, and now
operates in 40 countries, providing 4G networks to more than half of the
continent.
It will
also showcase 5G -- the next-generation mobile phone network that will transmit
data at far greater speeds -- in Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, which
will be held from June 21 to July 19.
"Africa
is a market Huawei had identified and which they conquered thanks to a very
aggressive strategy based on cheap financing and speed of execution,"
Satchu told AFP.
"The
fact that Huawei has equipped the AU says it all," he added.
'Big
Brother Beijing'
Huawei's
presence in Africa goes far beyond selling smartphones and building mobile
networks.
In South
Africa, it provides training at the country's top universities, this year
launching a specialised course on 5G.
Kenya's
government signed a 17.5-billion-shilling ($172 million) deal with Huawei in
April to build a data centre and "smart city" services.
The Chinese
giant also offers a "safe city" surveillance programme.
This
initiative, according to the firm's website, "can prevent crimes targeted
towards the normal citizen, tourists, students, elderly persons etc before they
occur".
It has been
deployed in Kenya's capital Nairobi as well as Mauritius, with 4,000
"smart" surveillance video cameras set up at 2,000 sites across the
Indian Ocean island nation.
Some media
outlets in Mauritius have condemned the system as "digital
dictatorship" from "Big Brother Beijing".
But
Ghanaian Security Ministry Albert Kan-Dapaah, for one, says Huawei's video
surveillance technology helps catch criminals.
"When
a crime has been committed, thanks to the cameras, we work magic,"
Kan-Dapaah says in a promotional video for the Chinese firm.
Huawei
Marine, the company's submarine cable arm, is helping to deploy a key
12,000-kilometre (7,450-mile) cable system connecting Africa to Asia.
With Huawei
so deeply embedded in Africa, the continent may find it difficult to avoid
becoming a collateral victim of the US-China bust-up.
"Africa
is caught in the middle of a trade war that they should not have to take part
in, because they have nothing to gain," said Nizard.
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