The US defence secretary, Mark Esper, together with other officials of the United States governments has expressed concern for NATO partnerships if the European member countries establish cooperation with the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. Huawei technology for 5G networks is seen as an extended arm of the Chinese government, whose values contradict those of the NATO alliance countries. Esper particularly noted that the work of intelligence agencies and international cooperation would be under pressure if countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom build their telecommunication infrastructure with Chinese technology. There is a perception of a conflict of values, especially the value of privacy between the East and the West, and a need for dialogue over geopolitical interests that hamper the globalisation of the ICT and Internet infrastructure.