European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to exclude the Chinese technology company Nuctech from a tender procedure for the security of European airports. This is what VVD MEP Bart Groothuis says in BNR’s De Wereld. Groothuis sent Von der Leyen a letter in which he warned her about the company.
Nuctech Company is a Chinese state-owned company of safety inspection products. It makes x-ray scanners and detection systems for drugs and explosives, among other things. The company, which previously also supplied scanners to the port of Rotterdam and Schiphol, has joined a European tender worth €1 billion to secure airports. In response to a letter from Groothuis to von der Leyen, the committee chair replied that she had, however, instructed EU member states to exclude the Chinese company from the tender.
Last week, Groothuis received a letter from the chairman of the committee promising to instruct member states not to award the €1 billion tender to the Chinese.
“I’m afraid they may also use that kind of information against us.”
‘There is now a tender in Europe worth one billion euros to scan our external borders. When you arrive at an airport, your biometric data will be scanned, as will your bags and cargo at our ports. There’s a Chinese company there, a state-owned company that always beats European or American competitors by 25 to 35 percent. They lurk in our vital infrastructure and I fear they may use this type of information against us as well.’
Weapon
According to Groothuis, this is a vital infrastructure that should not be entrusted to Beijing: «They can close our borders, they can use it as a weapon. What I did was point it out to them: push that Chinese party out of this race. And voilà, it took her three and a half months, four, but I received a letter saying (…) ‘We are now giving instructions to member states to push that Chinese party out of that race’.
In the letter, the European Commission also urges EU countries to no longer use only the lowest price as a criterion for purchasing such products. acquire. Brussels is particularly concerned about the Chinese company Nuctech, which has also supplied scanners to the port of Rotterdam and Schiphol.
“What I did was point it out to them: push that Chinese party out of this race”
It’s not front page news, but according to Groothuis there’s a reason. “The Chinese always need a way out. It’s a culture of shame, so you shouldn’t publicly humiliate the Chinese state. This is done behind the scenes. You won’t read it much in the media, but it is certainly a concrete result against an invisible threat that is also being faced here.’
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
