Leading German lawmakers and politicians urge operators to reduce their dependence on Chinese equipment in current and future networks. This comes amid a report that showed carriers have recently bought large amounts of 5G equipment from Chinese vendors and after years of German hesitation to impose restrictions on so-called " This term, according to Politico, alludes to Chinese equipment manufacturers Huawei and ZTE..

Departure from Huawei responds to the changing approach to China of the coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

In November, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the country was seeking to become less dependent on China, pointing to sectors such as telecommunications and chips as major problems.. That same month, Habaek also officially banned Chinese investors from buying a German potato chips plant..

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine exposed Germany's dependence on authoritarian regimes in critical sectors like energy, Berlin is now critically questioning its dependence on Chinese telecommunications companies as well..