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Report: HUAWEI strengthening UK ties after US plans fall through
- HUAWEI has reportedly pledged £3 billion (~$4.2 billion) in investments to the UK following the collapse of its carrier deals in the US.
- The Chinese manufacturer is alleged to have already spent £2 billion on procurement in the region between 2013 and 2017, and has promised a total of £9.3 billion (~$13 billion).
- HUAWEI stands to make gains from the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit.
HUAWEI is investing more money in UK procurement following the recent breakdown of its US plans, according to a report from Reuters. The Chinese manufacturer will shell out a further £3 billion (~$4.2 billion) on UK prospects, meaning it has promised to spend a total of £9.3 billion (~$13 billion) in the region.
HUAWEI chairwoman Sun Yafang reportedly made the pledge last week while British Prime Minister Theresa May was on a trade mission in China. The deals would reportedly cover patent licensing fees that HUAWEI pays out to UK chip manufacturer ARM, as well as the “global risk management and forex trading operations” which HUAWEI runs out of London.
Huawei’s UK reputation has been steadily growing over the last decade and the company is already said to have invested £2 billion in the territory between 2013 and 2017. HUAWEI is now in a strong position to gain a greater foothold in Britain as it faces economic uncertainty related to Brexit.
Reuters also notes that HUAWEI’s promised investments are separate from its business deals related to telecoms infrastructure, where it has acted as a supplier to telecoms companies BT and Vodafone.
In December, HUAWEI’s plan to release its latest smartphone with AT&T was abruptly canceled following US government concerns over HUAWEI’s links to the Chinese government. Verizon is also reported to have pulled out of a similar deal due to the same government pressure.