China’s Huawei seeks India meeting over telcom ban: report

NEW DELHI, May 4, 2010 (AFP) - Chinese telecoms maker Huawei Technologies is planning to meet senior Indian officials to persuade them its equipment poses no security threat, a report said Tuesday. The move comes after New Delhi said last week it blocked sales between Indian mobile phone operators and Chinese equipment firms, which the Economic Times quoted a person with knowledge of the development as saying had halted dozens of deals.

While the government insisted last week there is no blanket ban, Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese telecom equipment company, say no new contracts have been approved since February 18.

Huawei’s executive vice-president, Xu Zhijun, and its president for Asia-Pacific, Wang Shengli, will meet officials from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office and other key ministries from May 7, the newspaper said.

The restrictions have the potential to stoke already tense trade relations between two of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

As part of efforts to convince India it poses no security threat, Huawei has told the government it is restructuring its Indian operations so that the chairman and board of directors of the local arm will all be Indian residents.