The United States Secretary of State, Mr. Pompeo, said on Tuesday (10 November) that nearly 50 countries and 170 telecommunications companies have joined the United States-led “Clean Slate Network”. He also said the Brazilian government also supports the principles of the “clean network,” and believes Brazil will soon sign a memorandum of understanding to join the network.
Secretary Pompeo said at a press conference at the State Department on Tuesday that the Trump administration “has had tremendous success in convening like-minded countries to form alliances in the interest of the United States and the world as a whole. He specifically mentioned the progress the United States has made in getting other countries to join the Clean Slate Network. This network refers to a group that has pledged to use only reliable suppliers in its 5G network.
He said: “I’m pleased to announce that we now have nearly 50 clean countries, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the world’s output; 170 telephone companies, telecommunications companies have agreed to become clean, and many of the world’s leading companies have joined the ranks.”
Pompeo said those countries include 27 of the 30 NATO allies, 31 of the 37 OECD members, 26 of the 27 European Union members, and 11 of the 12 Three Seas countries. The Three Sea States refer to the countries bordering the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas. Poland and Croatia launched the “Three Seas Initiative” for the prosperity of these countries in 2015.
He also said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Keith Krach is visiting South America and discussing clean networks with the Brazilian government as well as private sector leaders.
“In fact, I got word an hour ago that the government of Brazil supports the principles of clean networks and I am confident that we will be signing a memorandum of understanding in the near future,” Pompeo said.
Less than a month ago, Pompeo announced that more than 40 countries had joined the “clean network” and the international security situation for 5G mobile networks had changed dramatically as a result.
Since the Trump administration launched the “clean network” initiative, Pompeo and other senior U.S. officials have made frequent trips to urge these countries not to use equipment and technology provided by Huawei and other Chinese companies in the construction of their 5G networks.
In recent weeks, Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment John Klatch has visited more than a dozen countries in an effort to get them and their companies to participate in the clean network.
At the press conference, Pompeo also announced that Deputy Secretary Klatch will lead a U.S. delegation to the U.S.-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 20, with topics including 5G security.
This Friday, Pompeo will travel to France, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. More than a week ago, he visited several South Asian countries.
At this press conference, Pompeo was also asked if there was any evidence that the Communist Party of China interfered in the U.S. election or tried to create chaos following the current legal challenge to the election results. He said he would leave that question to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, which deal with these matters, to answer. But he said that the United States did a great deal of work before the election to reduce the risk that they would have a significant capacity to interfere in the election.
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