It is a moment of truth for the "special relationship" . For the past few days, the United States has been exerting great pressure on its great European ally in the face of the Chinese threat. Boris Johnson is de facto ordered to choose sides, Washington or Beijing.
Accusing the Chinese of "coercive intimidation tactics" , the head of the American diplomacy was explicit. Mike Pompeo assured London that the United States "stands ready to help its British friends with anything they need," whether it be building nuclear power plants or a 5G network without Chinese influence.
Read also: London wants to reduce its dependence on China
This last component is at the heart of the showdown. In January, Boris Johnson challenged Donald Trump by giving the green light to Huawei's involvement in the British 5G network. The decision to open the door to the Chinese telecommunications giant, even with guarantees that it would only work on the "non-sensitive" parts of the infrastructure, had greatly irritated Washington. The first
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