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China's Huawei to build $1.2 billion R&D and manufacturing centre in England

WION Web Team
London, London, UK (Great Britain)Updated: Jun 25, 2020, 08:35 PM IST
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Huawei posted a net profit of 113.7 billion yuan ($17.8 billion) last year, a rise of 76 percent on-year, but revenue slumped by around 29 percent as it grappled with US sanctions aimed at blocking access to key technology and supplies. Photograph:(Reuters)

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The facility would employee around 400 people and focus on the production of optical devices for use in fibre-optic communication systems, the company said in a statement.

China’s Huawei Technologies has received planning permission to build a 1 billion pound ($1.2 billion) research and development facility in England.

The facility would employee around 400 people and focus on the production of optical devices for use in fibre-optic communication systems, the company said in a statement.

The move is expected to anger US officials. Washington says Huawei equipment can be used by Beijing for spying -- a charge the company denies.

The decision also stands to baffle some British lawmakers who are pushing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reconsider a January decision to grant Huawei a limited role in Britain’s 5G networks.

British officials now say they are reviewing the specific guidance on how Huawei equipment should be deployed in light of new US sanctions on the company announced in May.

Huawei said the plans were part of an effort to develop a 500-acre site near Cambridge, around 70 km (43 miles) north of London, and boost investment in the area.