National
CCS will decide on Chinese firm with 'Taliban link'
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, DEC. 11. The future of the Bangalore-based Chinese information technology company, Huawei Technologies, will be determined by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) possibly at its next meeting, pending which there is no decision on any immediate deportation of the Chinese nationals working in the company.
Huawei Technologies is in the news on the ground that it had supplied telecom surveillance equipment to Pakistan and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Company officials have confirmed that Pakistan was on their worldwide marketing map but denied any connection with the Taliban.
Sources in the Central Government confirmed that the matter was under official scrutiny for more than a month now but the CCS had not taken a decision yet. ``Our information is that the Ministry of External Affairs had asked the Home Ministry to look into this matter as reports had been received about a possible Taliban link,'' a senior official said here today.
But the External Affairs Ministry, sensitive to the interests of Sino-Indian relations, today came out with a clarification that no decision had been taken on deportation of any Chinese national working in India on a legitimate employment visa. ``Our bilateral trade and economic relations with the People's Republic of China have been diversifying and expanding. In 2000, bilateral trade was approximately $2.9 billion and, according to projections, this is expected to grow by approximately 25 per cent in 2001 and may cross $3.5 billion. Both countries are working together to ensure that our trade is commensurate with our potential for cooperation,'' the Ministry said. Commerce Ministry sources indicated that Huawei Technologies had received Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance.
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