Authors: Simon Tay and Jessica Wau, SIIA Rising US–China tensions go beyond trade and involve a broad range of issues including strategy, security and values. It's pertinent to also look at the choices that ASEAN and others are facing in the context of this great power contest, including decisions on economic development and technology. Given the advanced technology it offers and its relatively low cost, the Shenzhen-based company Huawei is a competitive option for any country looking to adopt 5G technology. Yet the US government has accused the company of violating US laws and of being a ‘persistent national security and foreign policy threat'. These accusations manifested in December 2018 with the arrest of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou. When the US Commerce Department forbade US firms from selling equipment to Huawei — already the world's second-largest smartphone maker — the industry's entire supply chain was rattled.
