Trump expected to lobby Varadkar ‘to restrict’ Huawei in Ireland

US president Donald Trump is expected to vigorously lobby Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to restrict Huawei’s operations in Ireland during their meeting on Thursday, the Irish Times understands.

Sources in Washington have said that the issue will be front and centre in Thursday’s discussion, particularly given the high number of US multinationals based in the country.

Despite the threat of the coronavirus, the Taoiseach is due to arrive in Washington on Wednesday night.

The fact that the Chinese telecoms operator is not as embedded in Ireland’s telecoms infrastructure as in other countries, is seen by senior figures in the White House as a reason why the government may be conducive to the US stance.

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Ireland is due to begin rolling out 5G next year.

National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien is expected to be present at the meeting between Mr Varadkar and Mr Trump - a sign of how Huawei developments have been cast as an issue of national defence and security.

The fact that hundreds of US companies, holding huge amounts of data, are based in the State is a key reason why the Trump administration is focusing on Ireland.

Persuade

Mr Trump has been seeking to persuade allies to ban Huawei from their roll out of 5G infrastructure, but to date the attempts have had limited effect.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Trump was “apoplectic” in a phone call with British prime minister Boris Johnson last month over his decision to allow Huawei a roll in its next generation networks.

The Chinese telecoms provider has announced a series of investment projects in Ireland in recent months, including in Science Foundation Ireland’s research at University of Limerick. It also has an R&D centre in Dublin

The investments did not go unnoticed in Washington, according to officials.

The issue could be diplomatically difficult for Ireland given the number of US companies based in the country.

Noting that Ireland had “benefitted from the digital revolution,” a senior White House official said on Wednesday that the country must be alert to certain types of threats, including from cyber attacks and unsecured telecommunications providers.

The ongoing tariff war between Airbus and Boeing is also expected to be raised by the Taoiseach during the meeting, which will also be attended by US trade representative Robert Lighthizer and treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin.

Tariffs

Irish exports like Kerrygold have been hit by tariffs introduced even though Ireland has no involvement with Airbus, and the Government has argued that Ireland is being unfairly impacted.

Mr Varadkar is to meet vice president Mike Pence on Thursday morning, though the event is not open to the media as in previous years. He will then hold a private meeting with Mr Trump in the Oval Office, before attending the Speaker’s Lunch on Capitol Hill and the annual shamrock presentation ceremony in the White House.

The Taoiseach will meet the US president despite revelations that Mr Trump travelled on Air Force One on Monday with a member of congress who is now in self-quarantine after interacting with a person infected with coronavirus at a conservative conference less than two weeks ago.

At least four members of Congress are now self-quarantining after it emerged they had contact with the conference attendee.

Mr Trump said on Wednesday that he had not been tested for the virus, stating that the White House physician said there was no need.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal…I feel extremely good. I feel very good,” he said, after meeting with Republican congress members on Capitol Hill, though he indicated that he would be willing to be tested.