Ahead is a narrowing road. On the back, however, you can see a door that shows no sign of closing. There is a chapter that has been stirring up a piece of our intelligence for a few weeks. And it is the relationship that Italy has chosen to have with one of the world powers: China. After the last few years in which there were great openings – not least in the two governments led by Giuseppe Conte – the Draghi government has indicated a very clear path with two choices.
The Viminale 5G race which in fact excluded – at least for the moment (a legal dispute has opened on the matter) – those companies that used Chinese technology, Huawei and Zte, paving the way for Tim. And the opening of a dossier on the sale of a military drone company (Alpi Aviation) by two companies linked, it turned out, to the Chinese government. The indication is clear: the market is free. But everyone must respect the rules, one above all: there can be no interference by foreign countries, much less NATO allies, in our national security.
It is happening, however, that Asian companies have chosen an alternative path. Less flashy, but equally important and fruitful: to intensify exchanges and partnerships with our universities, by increasing projects and research centers. All without any regulation, so much so that not even the Ministry for University and Research has a map of these “alliances”. Which, too, are important: Huawei is the main sponsor of a collaboration on 6G between the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and the Politecnico di Milano. And, thanks to the agreements with Italian universities, it is already within the European cloud project on which Brussels had raised the barricades.
The alarm across the border
The debate on the risks associated with research centers, academies and think tanks financed by China and by companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party has been central in Europe for some time. Italy, on the other hand, up to now, at least with politics (intelligence has been working on it for some time), has remained speechless. Yet the question exists. In a paper on “China-Italy Cooperation in Higher Education” published in October by Nicola Casarini, research manager for East Asia at the Istituto Affari Internazionali, talks about “university sponsorships by Chinese companies, such as Zte and Huawei, to the point of raising questions about the implications for Italy’s national interest and the security of its Western allies “.
Casarini points out that in other countries “collaboration in the scientific-technological field has been subjected to ever more rigorous scrutiny”. While in Italy little or nothing has been done. The professor explains to Repubblica: “Our universities are afflicted by an endemic shortage of funds and the fact that they come from companies offers the possibility of carrying out projects that otherwise could not be realized. The downside is that it is not a question of charity: China wants technology and know-how in exchange without too many controls “.
The networks of Huawei and Zte
Huawei’s oldest collaboration is the one with the University of Cagliari. The most recent agreement instead gave birth to the Innovation Lab inaugurated in October in the technical-scientific park of the University of Pavia, with an investment of 1.7 million. In Italy, Huawei has created 5 Innovation Centers with other Tlc operators and a Joint Innovation Center with the Sardinia Region.
Instead, the decision to open its Global Research & Development Center in Segrate dates back to 2004, which today is one of the most important innovation hubs of the Shenzen giant outside China, thanks to the contribution of 100 researchers and collaboration with 15 Italian universities. Zte, on the other hand, is present in Italy in Milan, Turin and Rome, where it is building 5G networks and smart cities in some cities together with Wind Tre and Open Fiber. It has agreements with the universities of L’Aquila, Tor Vergata and Turin.
On 8 February 2018, the company’s top management signed a memorandum of understanding with the Campidoglio (led by the grillina Virginia Raggi) for the Rome 5G project. Under the contract, ZTE would participate in the pilot project of the future latest generation network and wireless network technology, as well as the development of the infrastructure necessary for the services of a digital smart city. Curiosity: whenever there was a need to open a research center financed by Huawei or ZTE in Italy, parliamentarians or undersecretaries of the 5 Star Movement always presented themselves to cut the ribbon. From 5G to 5S, it may not just be a question of consonants.
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