I have no doubt that China does spy. We can't know for sure whether it is using Huawei to spy. But what is really happening is that we are being used as pawns in the US trade war with China. Huawei is a soft target. The US says to China: "Play by our rules, because it would be a shame if something bad were to happen to Huawei." Then they lean on us: "Ban Huawei or we will kick you out of Five Eyes."

So the right response is not to roll over when we hear our masters' voice, but to weight the relative advantage. The Trump administration's attempt to blow up the global trading system, reintroduce tariffs and use bogus security concerns (apparently our steel and aluminium exports are a security threat) as an excuse should embolden us as a small trading nation to say, "Thanks for your advice, but we'll make our own decisions about what to do about Huawai."

Josie's op ed in the Dominion Post