New Delhi: Chinese Ambassador to India Zhang Yan Thursday met Union Home Secretary GK Pillai in the backdrop of concerns raised by Indian security agencies on the use of telecom equipment made by Chinese manufacturers and later expressed the hope that all issues would be resolved.
Emerging from the nearly 45-minute meeting, Zhang told mediapersons here that "we had a very good discussion. It was a positive meeting. I hope all relevant issues will be resolved.”
Pillai had said three days ago that India's norms for foreign telecom companies for doing business in the country were not loaded against China and every proposal is decided on case-by-case basis.
Earlier in the day, a delegation of ZTE officials, one of the Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers whose equipment had elicited the concerns of Indian security apparatus, also met Pillai.
"We had a meeting Talks are going on. We have appealed to the government. We have put forward our thoughts. Let's see." DK Ghosh, ZTE India head, said after the meeting which lasted for about half an hour.
"The talks were held in a positive environment" he said when asked whether he was happy with the talks.
ZTE and Huwaei Technologies are the two Chinese telecom companies whose equipments have evoked security concerns in India.
BSNL’s tender for GSM worth Rs 36,000 crore allegedly did not get sanction from the Prime Minister’s Office six months ago following an alert from security agencies against the participation of Chinese companies, official sources said.
The meeting between Zhang and Pillai also assumes significance in the backdrop of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh's comments in Bejing that Indian government was being "alarmist" and "paranoid" in its approach towards entry of Chinese companies in India.
ZTE, a Chinese telecom equipment manufacturing company has a factory and research centre in Manesar, Gurgaon, which manufactures wide range of CDMA, GSM mobile sets and other telecom components. Huwaei has a R&D centre in Bangalore and are planning a manufacturing unit in India.