Beijing regrets India's decision to exclude Chinese telecom firms from 5G trials

MOSCOW, May 5 (Sputnik) – Beijing regrets New Delhi's decision to exclude Chinese Telecom service providers from the list of companies allowed to conduct 5G trials with Indian Telecom firms, the Chinese Embassy in India said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Indian Telecom Ministry granted permission to several telecom service providers, including national firms Bharti Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea, and MTNL, to conduct a 6-month trial of 5G technology in India. These companies are due to cooperate with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers, including Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, and C-DO​​​.

However, Chinese Telecom Companies, such as Huawei and ZTE, have been excluded from the list.

"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," Wang Xiaojian, the embassy’s spokesman, said.

The diplomat noted that Chinese Telecom service providers have been contributing to the Indian telecommunications sector for years, adding that their exclusion from the relevant list harms not only their interests but also "the Indian business environment, which is not conducive to the innovation and development of related Indian industries."

"The Chinese side hopes that India 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," the embassy concluded.

The move of the Indian government comes as a result of the escalation of tensions between the countries since the last year over the skirmishes at the shared border. In addition, New Delhi has since then banned 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, WeChat, and Weibo over security concerns, and is believed to be a part of the US-led campaign to ban Huawei from 5G networks over alleged espionage in favor of the Chinese government.

Huawei, however, has refuted the claims as unjustified and politically motivated.