'India should take call on Huawei's 5G trial considering own interests'

A key member of a powerful committee dealing with China's foreign policy Monday said India should take a position on 5G trials by Huawei based on the country's interests and should not come under pressure from the US. Ambassador Yang Yanyi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the 13th CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) also criticised the US for its emphasise for a military approach in the Indo-Pacific region.

On the 5G issue, Yang said India should make an independent decision and should not come under the US pressure. The US has banned Huawei, the world's leader in telecom equipment and the number two smartphone producer, over concerns of security and Washington has been pressuring other countries to restrict the operations of the Chinese telecom firm.

During an interaction here, Yang criticised the US approach in dealing with the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, saying use of military will not provide any positive outcome. In November 2017, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending "Quad" Coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.

China has been trying to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific, which is a biogeographic region, comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the sea.

The US has been pushing for a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific which is seen by many countries as an effort to contain China's growing clout in the region.