US pushes NATO allies to use defense funds to rip out Huawei gear
What's new: The proposal could resurface at NATO's July summit in Turkey as allies debate how to count 1.5% of GDP in defense-related spending.
The Trump administration is pressing NATO allies to treat the removal of Huawei equipment from telecom networks and other critical infrastructure as eligible defense-related spending. In closed-door talks in Brussels in May, State Department China coordinator Joshua Young urged allies to use the alliance's 1.5% of GDP defense-related spending target to replace Chinese gear with other vendors' products. The push was aimed in part at Germany, one person familiar with the discussion said. The issue lands as Germany and Spain resist a European Commission drive to bar Chinese suppliers from telecom networks. NATO leaders are expected to revisit spending rules at their July summit in Turkey after most allies agreed in 2025 to raise broader defense spending targets by 2035.