I think the 5G fight is symbolic in the sense of losing face. From the article:” as noted in this (paywalled) Financial Times article: As an icebreaker, [telec

I think the 5G fight is symbolic in the sense of losing face. From the article:” as noted in this (paywalled) Financial Times article: As an icebreaker, [telecommunication operators] were asked if they thought the Chinese could eavesdrop through “backdoors” in Huawei equipment. Every single hand went up. One of the bankers then asked, for balance, if they thought the US could access communications through key Cisco equipment. “All the hands went straight back up without hesitation””