“Data is the new oil; the Italians’ data is the country’s intellectual property. Thus, I hope that Italy and the whole of Europe become way stricter [on Chinese tech]. I never questioned the commercial and exchange relations with China, but compromises cannot be made on security.”
This is how the Italian minister for European affairs Enzo Amendola answered when asked in an interview if Italy was going to finance Chinese tech companies – such as Huawei and ZTE – with money from the €209 billion European Recovery Fund destined to Rome.
The Italian government has drawn up a spending plan to access that fund, while meaningfully expressing Italy’s intended direction in the coming years. Digitalisation is a key part of the strategy, and Rome intends to tackle the country’s digital divide and telecoms development head on – without having to compromise on security.
Mr Amendola, who is now in charge of vetting the spending plan, has made it very clear that the funds going towards digital infrastructures will not be used to buy Chinese tech, which potentially poses a security risk according to intelligence from various Western countries, Italy included.
The 5G matter pertains Italy’s security and sovereignty, stressed Mr Amendola, adding that the debate on these sensitive areas must be held solely with European and Atlantic allies.
“We’re discussing [5G security and development] at a European level at this point. It’s not a matter of being anti-Chinese, it’s a normal thing. I give my house keys to my family members, not to others,” quipped the minister.
Moreover, he stressed that the recovery plan will include measures to initiate the reshoring of critical supply chains on Italian soil, in a bid to increase the country’s dependence on China and within the wider European framework seeking to do exactly that.
In the past months, Italy has been a battleground in the ongoing “tech Cold War” between China and the US. After the country’s past flirts with Beijing, it has undergone a considerable realignment as of late. Foreign minister Luigi di Maio was very vocal about Italy’s commitment to traditional allies when he met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
On top of that, the US has been increasing pressure on their allies to do away with Chinese 5G tech for the sake of security. Mr Amendola has reiterated that even if president Donald Trump loses the White House to Joe Biden this coming November, Washington will most definitely not become softer on China – a position that’s widely accepted in Italian politics.
In the meantime, the Italian government has taken measures that make it extremely hard for telecoms companies to work with Chinese partners – much to Beijing’s dismay, conveyed through the foreign minister’s visit. These measures include a digital security oversight infrastructure, draconian scrutiny measures and an extremely high security threshold, other than the State’s “golden” power to intervene in the private companies’ dealings for the sake of national security.
Between the measures and Mr Amendola’s uncompromising position, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Italy will not rely on China for its next-gen telecoms development.
