A Huawei official said the company will build a 5G factory in France, regardless of whether the government decides to use its equipment in a new 5G network, according to a source, Reuters.
5G mobile base station
The company, the world’s largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, announced plans to build a 5G manufacturing plant in France only last week. Huawei President Liang Hua said Huawei would invest 200 million euros in the first phase of setting up the new 5G mobile base station factory and create 500 jobs. It also seemed like a good strategic decision, to allay fears of spying around the world.
Huawei is currently accused by the United States of being a threat to national security and a spy for Beijing. In addition to prohibiting Huawei from providing 5G infrastructure to the U.S. telecommunications market, the U.S. is calling on its allies to do the same – pitting America against China in what has essentially become a 5G war, in which the ‘Europe is a burning commodity.
“The factory will be built in France, regardless of the decision of the French government, because it is part of our strategy,” Minggang Zhang, deputy general manager of Huawei France, told Reuters.
Will Huawei be banned?
The French cybersecurity agency is currently examining 5G equipment, including Huawei’s, for deployment in its new network. French President Emmanuel Macron said he would never seek to stigmatize a particular telecommunications operator or a country in particular. However, according to industry rumors, Huawei is concerned that it will be banned, even if there is no formal ban.
When asked if Huawei’s plan to build the factory and create 500 jobs could amount to blackmail to buy goodwill from the French government during the next 5G tender, the French Minister of Finance, Bruno Le Maire said: “No one, and certainly not me, would blackmail anybody. “