After a stunning defeat in the UK, Huawei has notched a win in Germany, which has approved the use of the Chinese firm’s 5G networking products in its critical infrastructure.

“We’ve created regulation that allows us to monitor trustworthiness in an appropriate fashion,” German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said of the decision. “Our security interests played a big role.”

Seehofer noted that Huawei gave Germany assurances about the safety of its networking products, meeting the country’s need to balance its security concerns with an open market for competitors. Huawei will be held financially liable for any security breaches.

As you must know, Huawei has been under attack by the U.S. government for unsubstantiated claims that the firm is beholden to the Chinese government and could use its networking equipment as a Trojan Horse to spy on the West. But China is Germany’s biggest trade partner and the biggest market for German companies. And so the country has sought a less drastic solution that would allow Huawei and other Chinese firms to compete for infrastructure contracts normally.

Huawei saluted Germany’s decision, which still needs to be ratified by its parliament.

“This means that there are higher and equal security standards for all suppliers for the 5G networks,” a Huawei spokesperson said.

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