Lithuania has rejected Chinese 5G technology after applying a “values-based” approach, according to a report compiled by regional experts for the Association of International Affairs (AMO) think tank.
A major shift in Lithuania's approach to its 5G development and Huawei is unlikely, as the new government has declared it would conduct a “values-based foreign policy” from “Belarus to Taiwan”, the report said.
Support to Taiwan, a country that Beijing considers to be part of China, was written into the coalition agreement of the Lithuanian parties that won October's general elections. However, the reference to Taiwan was removed from the adopted government programme.
Vilnius has also opposed Chinese technology in an effort to align positions with the United States and Poland, “as close partnership with both of those countries is considered crucial for Lithuanian security”.
The move to bar Huawei attempted to “positively highlight its public image throughout some ten years of operation in Lithuania”, according to the report. Huawei's most high-profile public relations campaigns involved the Lithuanian Basketball Federation.
Read more: Huawei signs controversial sponsorship with Lithuanian Basketball Federation
However, “Huawei’s main goal within the country remained beyond its reach” as “Lithuania became the last Baltic state to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on 5G Security with the US in mid-September 2020”, according to the report.
Telia Lietuva, the largest telecoms company in Lithuania, announced several months later it would be installing Ericsson, a Swedish-origin technology, instead and phasing out existing Huawei equipment.
“It is widely expected that before the upcoming radio frequencies auction all of the country’s telecommunications providers will follow the example set by Telia, finalising the exclusion of Huawei from development of the local 5G network as a result," the report concluded.
Read more: Lithuanian telecoms drop Huawei for ‘geopolitical reasons’
The full report, Huawei in Central and Eastern Europe, can be accessed here.
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