美国鼓吹“清洁网络”，根本目的是为了维护自身网络霸权

作者：兰顺正

首发自:CGTN

最近一段时间以来，美国部分政客不断炒作所谓“清洁网络”计划。2020 年 4 月 29 日，美国国务卿蓬佩奥宣布，美国国务院将开始要求为所有进出美国外交设施的 5G 网络流量实行 5G 清洁路径计划，要求禁用一切被认为“不可信”的 IT 供应商（包括中兴和华为）通过包括传输、控制、计算或存储设备在内的方式接入任何国家和运营商的 5G 网络。该计划被纳入 2020 年 6 月推出的“清洁网络”计划当中。随后，美国又在 2020 年 8 月 5 日更新清洁网络计划，在 5G 清洁路径计划的基础上推出了五项新的计划来“保护美国的电信运营商网络和基础设施”。这5项计划分别是:

清洁商店：将中文应用程序从美国移动应用程序商店中删除。

清洁应用程序：在美国销售的中国制造的智能手机将不能预安装或提供任何中文应用程序

清洁云：避免美国企业使用中国互联网企业的云计算产品（包括阿里巴巴，百度和腾讯）

清洁运营商：确保中国电信运营商没有进入美国网络

清洁海底电缆：确保海底电缆被正确使用

明显的是，所谓的“清洁网络”计划是要在中美之间树立起一道“数字墙”，欲将中国企业排除在全球网络建设之外。如果该计划得以实施，不仅意味着大量的中国App将无法进入美国市场，而且在美国销售的中国制造的智能手机或可能无法预置美国的App，另外中美海底网络也会将面临局部断网的风险。

美国方面力推“清洁网络”计划的目的，是利用国家力量采取单边行动对中国企业进行围堵，以维护美国的网络霸权地位。目前，美国在网络空间拥有绝对的优势，美国既是互联网技术最主要的发源地，也是网络根域名解析服务器最大的控制国。现在包括操作系统、芯片设计、软件等在内，全球互联网产业链上的每个关键环节基本都被美国所主宰。此外，美国还通过制定全球通用的互联网技术标准，以及网络空间国际规则，帮助美国进一步巩固其优势。但是，随着近年来中国在以5G为代表的先进网络信息技术和数字经济发展方面取得领先，让美国感到自身网络霸权地位开始受到威胁，其国内所谓“红色技术威胁”或是“数字东方主义”的论调逐步盛行，于是将矛头对准对中国科技企业实施遏制和打压，而“清洁网络”计划就是其重要手段之一。

通过分析可以看出，一方面“清洁网络”计划带有浓厚的主观色彩，其对“清洁”的定义充斥着意识形态偏见，主要以是否是中国供应商来判断是否“清洁”。另一方面，“清洁网络”计划基本覆盖全供应链生态闭环，可以说是美国在对中国网络产业长期研究和深度解剖基础上提出的精准打击策略。自8月初重提“清洁网络”计划以来，美国方面不仅点名了包括华为、中国移动等在内的7家中国科技公司，声称正加紧努力从美国数字网络中下架“不可信”的中国应用，而且将抖音海外版TikTok和微信列为美国的“重大威胁”，对其采取封杀举措。

不难推测，在互联网时代每个国家都有自主选择自己的可信供应商和可信服务的自由，而“清洁网络”计划企图以意识形态划分数字信任标准，给全球科技产品供应商打上不同政治标签，人为切割互联网生态链，不仅会对各方经济利益造成系统性损害，也将扰乱全球信息通信产业链和供应链。中国也许是美国“清洁网络”计划的首要目标，当绝不会是唯一受影响者，美国的数字霸权行为对整个国际社会和数字产业都会带来危害。

对此，各方纷纷表达了对于“清洁网络”计划的反对意见。如BBC就发表文章指出，所谓的“清洁网络”计划释放的信号令人担忧，其助长了互联网全球化的破裂。文章援引英国萨里大学的计算机安全专家艾伦·伍德沃德的话称，“美国政府长期以来一直批评其他国家控制互联网的访问……现在我们看到美国人在做同样的事情。”而该计划同样遭到美国国内的批驳，近日美国外交学会发表题为《“清洁网络”计划的问题在哪？中国不能加入》的文章，该机构高级研究员罗伯特·K·克纳克认为，“清洁网络”计划将中国排除在外，并非美国当前真正需要的网络计划。美国应当组建任何国家都能加入的“数字贸易区”，通过施加市场影响力与推进互联网自由，更妥善地应对中国在数字领域日益增长的影响力。

综上，正如新华社所说的那样：强行剥离既有合作的做法，违背市场经济规律和企业自主意愿，最终只会像“飞去来器”一样伤及自身。美方应尽早停止不得人心的科技霸凌，放弃不切实际的脱钩谬论，为各国企业提供公平、公正、开放、非歧视的商业环境，还世界一个自由、开放、安全的网络空间，让安全、可靠、优质信息技术为全球经济复苏和各国人民美好生活提供新动力。

（以下为英文原文）

U.S.'s 'Clean Network' serves to maintain its cyber hegemony

Editor's note: Lan Shunzheng is a research fellow at Charhar Institute and a member of the Chinese Institute of Command and Control. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Recently some American politicians have been hyping up the so-called "Clean Network" plan.

The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in April that the state department will start demanding a clean path for all 5G network traffic in and out of U.S. diplomatic facilities and disabling all be considered "not credible" IT vendors (including ZTE and Huawei).

The plan is part of a "Clean Network" initiative launched in June 2020. Subsequently, the U.S. updated its "Clean Network" Plan on August 5, 2020, and launched five new plans based on the 5G Clean Path initiative to "protect the network and infrastructure of the U.S. telecom operators." The five programs are:

- Clean Carrier: Make sure Chinese telecom carriers don't have access to U.S. networks.

- Clean Store: Remove Chinese apps from U.S. mobile app stores.

- Clean Apps: Chinese smartphone makers will not be able to pre-install any U.S. companies' apps.

- Clean Cloud: American citizens' and businesses' data is not allowed to be stored on cloud services provided by Chinese Internet companies.

- Clean Cable: Ensure that communication through undersea cables is not intercepted by China.

Obviously, the so-called "Clean Network" initiative aims to erect a "digital wall" between China and the U.S. and to exclude Chinese companies from global network building. It is being pushed by the U.S. unilaterally to contain Chinese companies and maintain the U.S.'s cyber hegemony.

A logo of the video-sharing social networking company TikTok's Los Angeles Office in Culver City, Los Angeles County, the U.S., August 21, 2020. /Xinhua

The U.S. is not only the most important source of Internet technology, but also the country that controls the most root DNS servers. It dominates virtually every key link in the global Internet industry chain, including operating systems, chip design and software. In addition, the United States has helped solidify its advantage by setting common global Internet technology standards and international rules for cyberspace.

But as China has taken the lead in recent years in advanced network information technology (represented by 5G) and digital economy, the U.S. feels threatened and thus begins to use terms, such as "red technology threat" and "digital orientalism" as well as the "Clean Network" initiative to curb and crack down on Chinese tech companies.

On the one hand, the "Clean Network" is highly subjective – its definition of "clean" is full of ideological bias, mainly judging by whether it is a Chinese supplier.

On the other hand, its plan basically covers the whole closed-loop supply chain, which means it is a precision strike at China's network industry.

China may be the primary target of the U.S. "Clean Network" initiative, but it will by no means be the only affected. The U.S.'s hegemonic behavior will harm the entire international community and the digital industry.

Various parties expressed their opposition to the "Clean Network" initiative.

The BBC has pointed out in an article that the initiative is sending worrying signals that are contributing to the breakdown of the Internet's globalization.

Alan Woodward, a computer security expert at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, was quoted saying, "The U.S. government has for a long time criticized other countries for controlling access to the Internet... and now we see the Americans doing the same thing."

Forced divestment of existing cooperation, contrary to the laws of market economy and the independent will of enterprises, will only hurt itself like a boomerang in the end. The U.S. should stop its unpopular tech bullying as soon as possible and abandon the myth of unrealistic decoupling.

We need to provide a fair, just, open, and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from all countries and create a free, open, and secure cyberspace in the world. Safe, reliable, and high-quality information technology will provide new impetus to economic recovery and a better life for people across the globe.