German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was just speaking the truth in his defense of Berlin's decision not to ban Huawei from competing for contracts to build the country's 5G mobile networks over the weekend.

During a talk show debate concerning the Chinese telecommunications equipment giant on Sunday, Altmaier referred to the US National Security Agency spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone that was revealed by the media in 2013. He also mentioned that Washington requires US telecommunications companies to "pass on certain information needed to fight terrorism".

Even so, he said: "We didn't boycott them."

He could have made his point more clearly, by pointing to the fact that while the US surveillance on other countries, including its closest allies, has reached an unprecedented scale, there has so far been no proof of espionage by Huawei on any other country despite the US allegations.

Actually Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei has long rejected the claim that Huawei has handed data to the Chinese government: "When it comes to cyber security and privacy protection we are committed to siding with our customers. We will never harm any nation or any individual." His words are backed by the company's solid track record in security over the past 30 years, which has seen Huawei's products used in more than 170 countries and regions, including the US, serving more than 3 billion users in total.

Huawei now leads the global race for next-generation 5G networks. Despite the US ban, the Chinese company has managed to secure more than 50 commercial contracts globally, making it the biggest 5G equipment supplier in the world. On Monday, French Junior Economy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher announced that France, like many other countries including Germany, will not exclude Huawei from its 5G rollout, as the US demands, as long as the company delivers the best equipment.

Anyone with eyes can see that it is the US which is playing the game of giving a dog a bad name and hanging him. Its push to strangle Huawei and other Chinese high-tech companies is politically motivated, and has nothing to do with national security. The purpose is to dent China's edge in technological competitiveness and slow the pace at which it becomes an innovation power, even at the expense of other countries' interest and the fundamental principles of a free market.

US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell responded angrily to Altmaier's remarks calling them "an insult". But it is the US that should do some self-reflection and stop insulting the intelligence of other countries by hyping up a non-existent threat about Huawei and China.