India and China have seen relations worsen after the Galwan Valley dispute of last year, and the former has not shied away from attacking the latter on the technology front. Over the last year, India has banned hundreds of Chinese apps, including TikTok, PUBG, and many more. However, today’s news might be the biggest action taken by India’s against Chinese influence, as a report from Reuters claims that the country may be looking to ban Huawei over security concerns.
The report cites government officials, who said that the country might ban Huawei and its telecommunication equipment over security concerns. This, after the ban on Chinese apps, is being seen as the next possible attack strategy that India might adopt against its neighbor. Moreover, it will also align with the Modi government’s goal of Make in India.
The country’s telecom department said that starting from June 15, 2021, carriers will be allowed to buy only a certain type of equipment, and only from trusted sources. Moreover, there’s a chance that the government might create a “no procurement” blacklist,” and Huawei may be a part of it.
If that is the case, this will not be the first blacklist that Huawei will become a part of. The company has already been placed on a similar list in the US by the Trump administration- a move that has vastly decreased the company’s presence in the Western hemisphere and caused massive losses for the telecom giant.
However, some of the country’s biggest telecom operators-including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, make use of Huawei’s equipment for their network. Thus, there’s a high chance that if the Huawei ban is called into action, it will lead to a push in prices. However, the report claims that the government is ready to take action despite the economic loss.
“We cannot prioritize economic gains if an investment poses national security risk,” one of the officials said.
Moreover, the report also claims that ZTE Corp.-another Chinese firm, may also get banned in the nation.
Huawei and other Chinese companies have often been accused of leaving backdoor vulnerabilities in their channels, which can then be used by the Chinese government to collect data about users. Thus, a ban on the company will not be totally uncalled for.
