The U.S.-China cold war has come to the Middle East, according to published reports, endangering the U.S. relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). For example, the UAE has continued to use Huawei’s 5G technology, despite U.S. pressure. The UAE may align more with China’s political outlook than the U.S., according to The New Arab.
“Emirati officials believe that the Chinese, unlike their Western counterparts, provide cheaper technologies of easier access and do not make them conditional on options such as respect for human rights and interference in the country’s domestic affairs,” The New Arab opined.
The UAE’s continued use of Huawei technology may have played a role in the demise of the proposed $23 billion sale of 50 F-35s to the UAE, according to C4ISRNET.
“Washington has warned allies for years that hiring Huawei to provide network services would jeopardize communications and intelligence sharing, and the Biden administration tried to levy security requirements on the F-35 deal to safeguard the high-tech aircraft from Chinese espionage. Experts say that pressure looks like it’s failing,” C4ISRNET reported.
It is more complicated than that. First, the deal was brokered by the Trump Administration, and President Joe Biden put the deal on hold when he came into office because of the UAE’s involvement in the civil war in Yemen.
“Emirati officials blame an American insistence on restrictions on how and where the F-35s could be used and say they are a violation of the UAE’s sovereignty,” Defense News reported. “Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. is prepared to move forward with the sales if the Emiratis decide to do so.”
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
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