NEW DELHI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies is seeking meetings with Indian government officials to allay their security concerns over equipment from China, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said.
China's largest telecommunications equipment maker wanted to meet representatives from India's Interior Ministry and the prime minister's office, the source said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Huawei requested the meetings after government officials expressed reservations about security issues related to Chinese-made telecoms equipment, most notably from Huawei and China's other successful exporter, ZTE.
The proposed meetings would be to "clarify security concerns and convey that Huawei is willing to offer support on any matter related to security," the source said.
He said certain issues existed over the import of Chinese equipment to India after government officials said last week there was no blanket ban as some media had reported.
"There is no blanket ban," the source said. "But certainly there are some issues with clearance of equipment from Chinese companies".
A spokeswoman from ZTE, China's second-biggest telecoms equipment maker, had no comment on a report in Indian media that ZTE was also seeking talks with Indian officials. ZTE to date has not confirmed any formal or informal bans on the export of its equipment to India.
Huawei said last week it was seeking clarification from the Indian authorities after reports that India was blocking the purchase of telecoms gear from Chinese vendors first surfaced in the Indian media.
Under Indian rules, telecom operators must apply for security clearance from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) before placing purchase orders with equipment makers, Chinese or otherwise.
India started overhauling its security system after Islamist militants killed 166 people in a three-day attack in the financial hub of Mumbai in November 2008. The militants used a satellite phone while travelling to Mumbai by sea and kept in touch with their handlers in Pakistan on mobile and Internet phones.
Reuters India
