Hope India Will Treat All Foreign Investments Fairly, Take Independent Decision On 5G, Says Huawei

Chinese tech giant Huawei said it is hopeful that the Indian government will treat all foreign investments "fairly" and urged the world's largest democracy to make an "independent decision" on permitting 5G trials in the country.

Speaking at the CII India China Economic Cooperation Forum, Huawei India Chief Executive Officer Jay Chen also sought to assure the Indian government that it is fully compliant with regulations in India and of addressing concerns around cybersecurity.

"We would like to give our commitment to Indian government that we will continue to fully comply with all rules and regulations of India. In addition, we will also continue to positively cooperate with the Indian government addressing cybersecurity and working together to improve network security," he said.

The U.S. had banned American companies from working with Huawei but has given temporary reprieve till November. The country had banned the company, a leading telecom equipment and smartphone maker, over concerns of security and Washington has been pressuring other countries to restrict the operations of the Chinese telecom firm.

India, however, is yet to take a final decision on whether it intends to place curbs on Huawei or allow the Chinese telecom equipment maker to participate in the 5G trials.

"We also hope that the Indian government will treat all foreign investments fairly and justly, providing a level-playing field to all investments. We also hope that India government will make independent decision on 5G for the long-term benefit of India, irrespective of the country of origin," Chen said.

Last week, National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt. General Rajesh Pant had said security is a big issue in 5G and the decision around participation of Huawei should be taken after proper consideration.

He had also stated that 5G will not be limited to telecom networks but will have an impact across all sectors. Previously, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said India is looking into whether Huawei will be allowed to participate in the upcoming 5G trials.

On Monday, Chen said Huawei's business spans across research and development, manufacturing and services in India and it has more than 6,000 employees in the country. Also, its R&D centre in Bengaluru is the largest such facility for the company outside its homeground.

He added that the company has purchased local products and engineering services with an annual procurement volume of about $150 million.