Huawei shouldn't be made a victim in technology competition

China and the US are locked in a strategic competition in the telecommunications sector, especially in 5G technology. That the United States has drawn global 5G leader Huawei in the Sino-US trade disputes, saying it threatens its national security, suggests a complex game to determine global governance, reshape the regional order, and political and economic institutions might be underway.

Science and technology are the key to a country's social and economic progress, as they can help improve people's lives and livelihoods and even increase the country's national strength. Companies that make big investments in technology research and development are important not only for industrial development but also for national, regional and global development. Huawei is one such company, ranking fifth in the world in terms of R&D investment and owning 1,529"standard-essential" 5G patents as of early February 2019, the most by any company according to data-analytics company IPlytics.

Huawei has been drawn into the China-US disputes because Washington has mistaken the Chinese government's normal commercial actions of buying products from Huawei as a sign that the government is directing the company's operations.