The Return of State vs State Competition

Abstract

This thesis outlines a theoretically informed case study analysis of the United States' recent actions (US) regarding the United Kingdom's (UK) relationship with the Chinese telecommunications company, Huawei. There have been multiple US concerns regarding Huawei's activities in the UK and their potential implications for US national security. These concerns arise because it is a state-owned enterprise with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Because of its ties with the CCP, the US expressed fears that China will use Huawei's telecommunications technology to infiltrate and spy on countries that use their products. This is especially concerning as the UK is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. However, there may be broader implications for US national security in this case. China has been using geoeconomics to assert its influence on other countries and sway these other country's decision-making process in China's favor. Since the UK is considering implementing Huawei's 5G into its critical infrastructure, there are potential concerns that China could use Huawei to assert influence over the UK. Due to the UK possibly utilizing Huawei's 5G network, this event may have more in-depth security and strategic implications for the US and affect the UK's relationship with the US.