EU-China relations and 5G: a "threat"?: Five cases on the European approach

Sartori, Eleonora

4. term

Development and International Relations, Master

2020

2020-05-14

102 pages

The Fifth Generation (5G) deployment has become a central topic of discussion across Europe, which finds itself in the middle of the so-called Sino-American tech war. This thesis investigates the perceptions of ‘threat’ of Chinese-supplied 5G in five EU countries: Germany, Italy, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Estonia. The purpose of this research is to uncover patterns, or the lack thereof, of behavior across the EU in regard to legislating on 5G, and specifically the infrastructure provided by Chinese companies, vis-à-vis American and Chinese interests. This will be done by taking into consideration the economic, political, and strategic exchanges that each country entertains with China on the topic of 5G as well as the role of the US in it. Adopting a Neorealist theoretical framework, the study reveals that attitudes vary greatly across the Union hinting at firstly, a fragmented EU-wide perspective on the matter; secondly, the United States role in providing strategic reassurance to its transatlantic partners in times of crisis of the NATO alliance; thirdly, the importance of economic relations for the EU member states that are mostly involved with China and the failure in deepening this dimension with younger partners despite Chinese efforts as with projects like the 17+1. In spite of the outbreak of Covid-19, which is not taken into consideration here, this thesis hopes to educate on the variety of European attitudes on 5G, inspire a deeper understanding of EU relations with China and with other international organizations like NATO as well as provide a point of departure for future research on the topic and actors involved.

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