China calls for unified 6G standardChina calls for unified 6G standard

In a sign of apparent anxiety over US tech curbs, a top Chinese official has urged the industry to set a "unified global 6G standard." Zhang Yunming, a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) vice minister, says China is "willing to work with global partners" to develop the next-gen mobile standard.

He was speaking at the 'global 6G development conference' in Shanghai earlier this week, an event organized by China's 6G coordination body, IMT-2030 promotion group. Despite the name it was primarily a domestic Chinese event with a handful of foreign guests.

Zhang reminded the audience that 6G was a priority for the communist party leadership and the Chinese government. He called on Chinese leaders, international organizations and industry to embrace openness and cooperation "and to maintain a unified global 6G standard," Chinese media reported.

He also said the Chinese government would always adhere to its policy of opening up to the world "so that global partners can share the development opportunities of China's mobile communications industry."

This would have provoked a mirthless laugh from foreign telcos, IDCs and cloud cos, had they been invited to the event, who have been granted a negligible slice of these golden "development opportunities" despite multiple promises to the contrary.

6G partners

With high-level collaboration with the US off the table, Zhang went on to say China would build on its relationships with other key 6G partners, the EU, Korea and Japan – but it seems even with these countries cooperation isn't guaranteed.

Zhang nominated the 'China-EU Information and Communication Basic Plan' and the 'China-Japan-Korea International Mobile Communications Working Mechanism' as the two forums in which China could work collaboratively on 6G.

It's not clear if either of those actually exist. What is clear is that government-to-government relations between China and those other 6G leaders are troubled at best.

The last leadership summit between China, Korea and Japan in May concluded with a tepid commitment to "strive" for a resumption of ICT ministers' meetings. As for the EU, a 'digital dialog' with China has met twice in four years but it is, as the name suggests, a talking shop. It is not going to advance 6G cooperation.

Which isn't to say there won't be global collaboration. It's just that it will happen at the industry level, without direct government involvement. It is in no one's interest in the mobile industry to create a forked 6G standard - though some politicians may yet beg to differ. 

It is notable that for all China's bluster about its claimed global 5G leadership, it is acknowledging it badly needs western technology and cooperation to help build its 6G juggernaut.