Huawei issue: RAW asked to consult home ministry

The department of telecommunications (DoT) asked the country’s external intelligence agency to send to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) its communication quoting its queries on certain characteristics of leading Chinese telecommunications equipment and services company- Huawei.

The DoT, in an internal communication, said its lack of clarity on the kind of action to be taken on the relevant input from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). It also said that the issue links more to the MHA and MEA(Ministry of external affairs).Earlier, RAW had spoken about Huawei Technologies Co Ltd getting loans from banks in its native East Asian countries.

It was also said in the communication that Huawei, headquartered at Shenzhen in the southeast coast province of Guangdong, is known to have links with People’s Liberation Army, the unified military organisation. China’s ministry of state security and ZTE Corporation (also based in Shenzhen) has, “always been keen” to sell telecom equipment to Indian operators so as to grow its foothold in this country’s telecom sector.

In 2010, state-owned BSNL had on security grounds cancelled a contract awarded to Huawei and ZTE for GSM projects in the country’s northern and eastern zones even though their bid was the lowest.

Since then, Huawei and ZTE have launched a heavy ‘Indianisation’ drive to change their public perception in India. Hauwei was founded in 1988 but only recently decided to appoint an Indian as the chairman of its wholly-owned subsidiary here, and even taken some Indians on its board of directors. ZTE also, plans a revamp of its five-member board in India by taking more people of this country.

Huawei, reacting to the development, said it had fully complied with all legal and regulatory norms, and has been transparent in its dealings with all stakeholders during its 12 years of corporate citizenship of India.