All of the global telecom powerhouses — the US, Australia, New Zealand among others — are voicing united concerns against Huawei over its alleged involvement with the Chinese military. Indian Government however, seems unwavered and has hence invited Huawei, along with Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson to conduct 5G trials in the country. This comes in via a report in the Times of India.
It wasn’t however always going to be this way. When the government initially sent out invites to global 5G Chinese firms Huawei or ZTE were not invited. However, Huawei protested with the Indian Government. The Government on its part, taking notice of the strained India-China relationships and Huawei’s investment in the Indian telecom sector, accepted the demand and invited the company for a presentation. ZTE still remains uninvited.
All of these developments come at a time when Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei’s Chief financial officer, is facing extradition to the US from Canada. She has been alleged of fraud by trying to sell telecom equipment to companies that was further selling it to Iran, despite US sanctions.
Then why is India taking a step not in sync with Global outrage ? Well for starters, Huawei has often been alleged of having strategic ties with the Chines Government as well as the military. Hence allowing Huawei and partnering with it could help India get a strategic advantage of sorts when it comes to dealing with China. If Huawei does start delivering 5G equipment in India, its business will hugely depend on the subcontinent since most other global markets have already shunned the company, hence giving India a strategic advantage.
As a leading global supplier of telecom equipment, we remain committed to developing trusted secure solutions for our customers. We continue to receive full support from the Government and industry partners alike.
said the company in a statement
