China expresses concern over India's decision to keep Huawei, ZTE out of 5G trials

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of the Government of India on Tuesday gave its go-ahead to several firms to conduct a six-month trial of 5G technology

Beijing on Wednesday expressed concern over New Delhi’s decision to keep China’s Huawei Technologies Company and the ZTE Corporation out of 5G trials in India.

“To exclude Chinese telecommunications companies from the trials will not only harm their legitimate rights and interests, but also hinder the improvement of the Indian business environment, which is not conducive to the innovation and development of related Indian industries,” said Wang Xiaojian, a spokesperson of the Embassy of People’s Republic of China in New Delhi.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of the Government of India on Tuesday gave its go-ahead to several firms to conduct a six-month 5G technology trial. Huawei and ZTE were kept out of the trial.

“We noted relevant notification, and express concern and regret that Chinese telecommunications companies have not been permitted to conduct 5G trials with Indian Telecom Service Providers in India,” the diplomatic mission of the communist country in New Delhi said in a statement.

Read: Huawei not named among 5G trials participants in India

It noted that China’s Huawei Technologies Company and the ZTE Corporation had been operating in India for years, “providing mass job opportunities and making a contribution” to infrastructure construction in telecommunications in the country.

Beijing hopes that New Delhi could do more to enhance mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries, and provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory investment and business environment for market entities from all countries, including China, to operate and invest in India, said Wang.

The United States administration led by former President Donald Trump had banned Huawei’s products in America in August 2018 citing security concerns, particularly the possibility of China using its telecom equipment company for surveillance and espionage activities. So did India’s two other partners in the Quad – Japan and Australia.

In the wake of the stand-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, New Delhi had aslo banned the use of several apps linked to the companies based in the communist country.