華爲在全球科技冷戰中的新前線:澳大利亞
SYDNEY, Australia — Already essentially shut out of the United States, the Chinese technology giant Huawei is scrambling to salvage its reputation in another country where growing worries over spying and security could hurt its chances at a big chunk of business.
澳大利亞悉尼——已基本被美國拒之門外的中國科技巨頭華爲，正在另一個國家忙着挽救自己的聲譽。在這裏，對間諜活動和安全的擔憂日漸加劇，可能會損害華爲在大量業務上的機會。In an unusual letter to politicians in Australia made public this week, Huawei defended its status as a longtime supplier of networking gear and other equipment to the country’s biggest telecommunications companies. The letter came after news reports that Australian politicians were likely to shut the firm out of a potentially lucrative contract to upgrade the nation’s mobile network over security concerns. It also followed growing concerns among Australian leaders about Chinese influence in the country.
在本週公開的一封寫給澳大利亞政界人士的信中，華爲替自己長期爲澳大利亞最大的電信公司提供網絡設備和其他設備的身份進行了辯護。在這封不同尋常的信出現之前，有新聞報道稱，出於安全考慮，澳大利亞政界人士可能會將該公司排除在一份利潤可能會相當可觀的合同之外。該合同涉及的項目是升級澳大利亞的移動網絡。同時，此前澳大利亞領導人對中國在該國的影響力的擔憂日漸加劇。Barring the company from bidding on fifth-generation, or 5G, telecom networks would be “ill informed” and “not based on facts,” Huawei said in its letter.
華爲在信中寫道，禁止華爲競標第五代（又名5G）電信網絡是“過於片面”的，並且“沒有事實依據”。
“To completely exclude Huawei from 5G in Australia means excluding Huawei from the entire Australian market,” it said. “We don’t believe this would be in Australia’s best interest.”
“將華爲完全排除在澳大利亞5G之外意味着將華爲排除在整個澳大利亞市場之外，”信中寫道。“我們認爲這不符合澳大利亞的最大利益。”Huawei fears that the world is embarking on a new cold war, this time over technology. As Australia may show, Huawei could get caught in the middle.
華爲擔心，全世界正在開始一場新的冷戰，這一次是圍繞技術。正如澳大利亞可能會出現的局面一樣，華爲可能會被夾在中間。More and more, the United States and China are offering differing visions of the future of technology, each powered by their own national champions. Security, data protection and cyberspying are big drivers of both countries’ efforts to help homegrown companies and shut out foreign rivals. That hits at Huawei’s core business: supplying the equipment that powers the wireless age.
在各自的行業翹楚驅動下，美國和中國日漸對科技未來給出了不同的設想。安全、數據保護和網絡間諜活動是促使兩國幫助本土企業並將外國競爭對手拒之門外的主要因素。這打擊到了華爲的核心業務：供應爲無線時代提供動力的設備。United States officials have said for years that Huawei products pose unacceptable security risks for Americans, citing the company’s ties to Beijing and its murky ownership. As a result, large American wireless carriers already shun its products, and smaller ones may soon be barred from using the brand under proposed new rules.
多年來，美國官方一直以華爲與北京的關係和所有權不明爲由，稱華爲的產品給美國構成了不可接受的安全風險。因此，美國大型無線運營商已經放棄了華爲的產品，並且根據提議的新規定，較小的運營商可能很快也會被禁止使用該品牌的產品。Separately, Huawei is also under investigation in Washington over whether it violated American trade sanctions against Iran and other countries. Illegal exports of American-sourced technology were the reason for recent, near-fatal penalties meted out by the Trump administration to ZTE, another Chinese telecom equipment maker.
另外，華盛頓還在就華爲是否違反了美國對伊朗和其他國家的貿易制裁進行調查。最近，中國另一家電信設備製造商中興因非法出口源自美國的技術而被特朗普政府施以近乎致命的處罰。Huawei officials have said repeatedly that the company is owned by its employees, not the Communist Party, and that it is a private firm that does not answer to any government. It has said it complies with the laws wherever it operates.
華爲的領導人多次表示，華爲的所有人是它的員工，不是共產黨，並且華爲是一傢俬營公司，不向任何政府負責。華爲自稱遵守業務所在地的法律。Still, Huawei’s big worry is that officials in other countries may someday follow Washington’s lead. Some of America’s closest political and military allies use the company’s technology. Customers in Britain, Canada, Germany and New Zealand are among its biggest.
但華爲最大的擔憂是，其他國家的官員有一天可能會效仿華盛頓。美國最親密的一些政治和軍事盟友使用的正是該公司的技術。英國、加拿大、德國和新西蘭屬於它最大的客戶。Huawei this week pointed to its business in those countries as proof that it can be a reliable and secure partner. It said it had passed security inspections by officials in Britain, Canada and New Zealand. It offered to build a testing center where Australian officials could monitor the security of its gear.
本週，華爲以它在這些國家的業務爲證據，證明自己可以是一個可靠、安全的合作伙伴。華爲自稱已經通過了英國、加拿大和新西蘭官方的安全檢查。它提出建立一個檢測中心，澳大利亞官方可在那裏監測華爲設備的安全性。“We have an open invitation for Australian officials and security agencies to meet with our world-leading research and development teams to better understand our technology,” it said.
“我們隨時歡迎澳大利亞官員和安全機構與我們世界頂級的研發團隊見面，以便更好地理解我們的技術，”公開信寫道。Huawei has long been an important supplier to Australian telecommunications companies, and has a profitable Australian business with revenue in excess of 600 million Australian dollars, or about $445 million, last year, employing more than 700 people.
長期以來，華爲一直都是澳大利亞各電信公司的重要供應商，在澳業務利潤豐厚，去年的收入超過6億澳元（約合4.45億美元），員工超過700人。Still, the company appears to be increasingly caught in a debate in Australia about Chinese companies.
儘管如此，華爲在澳大利亞似乎越來越多地陷入了有關中國企業的爭論當中。Last month, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government agreed to fund a multimillion-dollar undersea communications cable linking the Solomon Islands with Australia, effectively blocking Huawei’s plan to lay the cables for the island nation.
上個月，總理馬爾科姆·特恩布爾(Malcolm Turnbull)政府同意出資數百萬美元，建設連接所羅門羣島和澳大利亞的海下通訊電纜，有效阻止了華爲爲這個島國鋪設電纜的計劃。Asked about the lengths Australia went through to stop Huawei building the cable, he said: “Our concern is ensuring that Australian aid provides the support for economic and social development in the Pacific.”
在被問及澳大利亞阻止華爲建設電纜所作出的努力時，特恩布爾說：“我們的關切是確保澳大利亞的援助爲太平洋地區的經濟社會發展提供支持。”More broadly, Australia’s growing economic closeness to China — it is a major supplier of meat, milk, iron ore and other resources to the world’s second-largest economy — has raised concerns among some in the country over Chinese influence in politics and media. That in turn has stirred worries over an anti-China backlash that could hurt the growing numbers of businesspeople, students and others who have become part of Australian society.
更廣泛地說，澳大利亞與中國的經濟聯繫日益密切——它是這個世界第二大經濟體的肉類、牛奶、鐵礦石以及其他資源的主要供應國——使得澳大利亞國內的一些人開始對中國在政治和媒體上的影響感到擔心。反過來，這也引起了人們對反中情緒的擔憂，它會傷及越來越多的商人、學生和其他已經融入澳洲社會的人士。Since the accusations of political meddling, Australia has taken steps to curb foreign interference, introducing a series of bills aimed at strengthening the country’s espionage laws and criminalizing efforts to interfere in Australian democracy.
自政治干預的指控之後，澳大利亞便採取了措施遏制外國干涉，推出了一系列旨在加強該國間諜法的法案，並將干預澳大利亞民主行爲定爲刑事犯罪。Australian leaders are trying to walk a fine line so they do not alienate a major customer. Speaking to the Australia China Business Council on Tuesday, Mr. Turnbull said, “The Australia-China relationship gets stronger and stronger.”
澳大利亞領導人努力小心行事，以免疏遠主要客戶。週二，在對澳大利亞中國工商業委員會(Australia China Business Council)講話時，特恩布爾說：“澳中關係正變得越來越強大。”“It is built on so many connections,” he added. “It is built on great economic engagement, it is built on history, but, above all, it is built on family.”
“它建立如此多聯繫之上，”他補充說。“它建立在強大的經濟往來之上，建立在歷史之上，但最重要的是它建立在家庭之上。”For its 5G build-out, the race is on between telecommunications companies that have been testing the technology for years and are expected to begin bringing the service to consumers next year.
而5G擴建工程的競賽則在那些已對該技術進行了多年測試的電信公司之間開展，預計於明年開始爲消費者提供服務。
Years of exclusion from the United States have not dented Huawei’s determination to help lead wireless internet into its next era. The company has developed 5G-ready products and patented key technologies. It has hired seasoned experts to represent the company at the global body that is setting the new technology’s standards. These complex technical guidelines will ensure that different manufacturers’ gear can be used on different carriers’ mobile networks.
雖然被排除在美國之外多年，但這並未削弱華爲希望帶領無線互聯網進入下一時代的決心。華爲已開發出了5G完備產品和關鍵專利技術，聘請了經驗豐富的專家在全球機構代表公司制定新的技術標準。這些複雜的技術指導方針將確保不同製造商的設備可被用於不同運營商的移動網絡。“Huawei has a very strong position on shaping 5G standards,” said Dieter Ernst, a senior fellow at the East-West Center, a research and educational organization based in Honolulu.
“華爲在5G的標準制定方面有着非常強大的地位，”火奴魯魯教育研究機構東西方中心(East-West Center)的高級研究員迪埃特爾·恩斯特(Dieter Ernst)說。The company can count on support within the information technology, or I.T., business not only within Europe, but also in Canada, Japan and other technologically advanced countries, he said.
他表示，不止在歐洲，華爲在加拿大、日本以及其他技術先進的國家都可以得到信息技術(IT)行業內部的支持。“Outside the U.S.,” he said, “Huawei has become an accepted member of the international I.T. community.”
“在美國之外，”他說，“華爲已經成爲國際IT社區的一員了。”
