At the security checkpoint of the US Embassy in Madrid, they are interested in the brand of the mobile phone. American concern is growing with the Chinese state's ability to access the personal data of the Western population. Sarah Morgenthau is a member of the Democratic Party personally appointed last year by Joe Biden to the position of Special Representative of the Office of Trade and Business Affairs of the State Department and has visited “senior officials and business leaders” in Madrid. Its objective: to emphasize that there are Chinese technological suppliers that an allied government like the Spanish one would do well to avoid.. He grants EL MUNDO his only interview on this trip to the Spanish capital.

Why are you visiting Spain? The most important thing is that we consider Spain a huge trading partner. Spain is the tenth largest foreign investor in the United States, with more than 79 billion euros and 100,000 jobs, which is very important for us. And we are also the largest investor in Spain, with approximately 109,000 million. I'm here as the State Department's special representative for trade and business affairs in Washington, and I am, if you want to call it that, a special envoy to help level the playing field for American businesses. And how do we improve this playing field? We have a complicated but very important relationship between the United States and China. I believe that President Biden and all the senior officials dedicated to this have wanted to change this relationship, and reduce risks.. We view both American companies and the companies of our friends and allies as important foreign policy tools and economic levers that we can use to help advance the goals of all allies.. It is not about cutting off the important relationship between the US and China, which amounts to 700 billion dollars, but in matters of national security we are not yet seeing the light of the tunnel as is the case with the company Nuctech. Why are you concerned? Nuctech is an important supplier of detection devices and I understand that the Spanish Government is actively in talks to acquire its equipment for the ports of Spain. We are concerned about its implications on national security and this is something that we have also raised in other countries. Why? Because it is a company that is totally controlled by the People's Republic of China. It is property of the Chinese state. We had it in 2014 at our airports and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) withdrew it due to national security problems. Have you come to ask the Government to no longer hire companies like Nuctech? I am not here to tell the Government what what you have or don't have to do. He is an important ally and friend of the United States. We are here to raise awareness among the Spanish Government about the national security concerns we have.. It is important to hire only trusted suppliers because systems that screen cargo and baggage are increasingly linked to databases with boarding manifests, passenger information including passports, fingerprints and, probably soon, facial recognition data.. Hiring this company represents a real opportunity for Chinese authorities to collect information that could be detrimental to the trade and security interests of the countries and their trading partners.. There are laws recently passed in China that force these companies that are owned by China to hand over this data to the State.. That is why we are concerned from the point of view of national security. Will the ports of the Spanish State lose the US safe harbor certificate if they hire Nuctech? We are not here to give that message. I emphasize that we are here so that the Spanish Government is aware that we are concerned that it hires suppliers that are not trustworthy, such as companies controlled by China.. We are an increasingly interconnected global economy and what is done here in Spain impacts the entire world.. We have already had conversations with other European countries such as Lithuania, the Netherlands, Belgium, also about this, with Mexico and Chile, which have approved laws about not acquiring this type of equipment and even mentioning Nuctech. It is an important issue that is being increasingly recognized and we want to ensure that in Spain they are fully informed. In your travels through Europe, do you see a difference between your concern and that of the European governments about China? I cannot speak for the European governments , but in the United States it is considered an absolutely important issue. Hiring a company controlled by the Chinese state is entering its intelligence community, which is very closely linked to its military operations.. We want to make sure that this does not happen, because I think the ramifications can only grow. In China they criticize that the US only seeks to protect its American companies. How do you replicate that? You have to understand how problematic it is to hire companies that can be forced by their intelligence services to share sensitive data and information. Are you satisfied with how the Spanish Government is treating the Huawei case? Huawei is absolutely a priority for USA. It is a similar situation where data can be used. I was recently in Portugal a few weeks ago and there are already several countries that are passing laws and guidelines that establish that they do not want to have 5G providers controlled by countries that are not trusted.. Those are right decisions. Are you also worried about the use of Tik Tok? We have entered an era after the pandemic, where we are seeing increased use of all types of social media platforms. TikTok is one of them. We have to be aware and educate ourselves about these new emerging platforms and technologies.. I think we are all learning in America. I know that Spain is learning and around the world, and I think this is the type of thing that we have to be aware of, that is why I am here talking about national security. Does the US policy with the Chinese technological threat not vary? Which Administration? What I can say is that President Biden and the entire Biden-Harris administration of the United States are very focused on this. I think the Biden administration has done a good job of restoring US-China relations. Our administration has no interest in returning to a kind of Cold War relationship, like the one between Russia and the United States, but we are competitors. There are things that I think we can do together like the fight against climate change. But when it comes to national security issues and unreliable suppliers, they are given information that cannot be recovered later and that has consequences. As for Iran, will there be US sanctions on Banco Santander for allegedly facilitating a prohibited transaction? I can't comment on ongoing talks and deliberations on sanctions, unfortunately. But I can say that we use the levers and tools we have to promote our foreign policy objectives. Will there be more US investment in Spain with European funds? Spain is a leader in renewable energy and we hope to have a solid future relationship in this field. Overall, we need to support each other in a world where things are constantly changing.