New Delhi (Sputnik): Days ahead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to New Delhi scheduled from June 25-27 which the ministry termed as the "first high-level engagement" after Indian elections, the Indian External Affairs Ministry has made it clear that economic and security interests will guide their decision on whether Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei will be allowed to participate in the country’s 5G development or not.
“This is being debated intensely across continents. We will take a decision which will be guided by our economic and security concerns,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said during a weekly media briefing on Thursday.
Earlier this month, during his address to the US-India Business Council on 12 June, Pompeo said Washington is "eager to help India establish secure communications networks - including 5G networks", noting that the US is committed to "protect data and secure consumers' privacy".
Meanwhile, the Indian Industry body, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has been pressing the government to take an early decision on the use of 5G equipment made by Huawei.
Last Month, the Trump administration imposed a series of restrictions on Chinese tech giant Huawei, accusing them among other things of cooperating with the Chinese government to spy on users of its devices. Huawei has strictly denied all allegations on several occasions. Last week, Huawei estimated that it will earn $30 billion less than forecast over the next two years due to the ongoing trade dispute.