Huawei promises ‘made in Europe’ 5G, as it announces plans for new manufacturing bases
- Move comes days after new security guidelines stop short of barring Chinese telecoms giant from EU next-generation infrastructure
- Huawei is seeking to fight off US pressure on European allies to ban it from 5G networks
Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said on Tuesday it would set up manufacturing hubs in Europe, as it tries to fight off US pressure on EU nations to stop it from operating.
“Huawei is more committed to Europe than ever before,” said the company’s top executive for Europe Abraham Liu during a Lunar New Year reception in Brussels.
“That is why we have decided we want to set up manufacturing bases in Europe – so that we can truly have 5G for Europe made in Europe.”
The announcement comes just days after the EU recommended that member states could ban telecoms operators deemed a security risk from critical parts of 5G infrastructure.
But the EU plan, which closely mirrored rules set out by Britain allowing a limited role for Huawei, stopped short of barring the company from the next-generation communications network designed for near-instantaneous data transfers.