The controversy over the ban on Chinese telecom equipment by India looks unlikely to

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end anytime soon. The prime minister on Wednesday cancelled his meeting with the Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers on the advice of the security establishment. An official of the prime minister’s office (PMO) confirmed that the scheduled meeting did not take place.

National security advisor (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon has recommended that the issue be handled either by home minister P Chidambaram or home secretary GK Pillai.

The Chinese companies have been seeking an audience with the prime minister and the home minister.

ZTE Telecom officials are slated to meet the home secretary on Thursday but Huawei, which is under the scanner of security agencies, is still waiting for an appointment.

ZTE Telecom India chairman and managing director DK Ghosh told a news conference at the launch of company’s engineering centre here that

ZTE officials may also meet the home minister after this meeting to discuss security issues.

Huawei India, which had sought an appointment with Pillai on May 4, is still waiting,a company spokesman said by phone.

Both, ZTE and Huawei also said they plan to expand local manufacturing in India.

“We are looking for partners to expand our manufacturing in India,” the Huawei spokesman told Financial Chronicle.

“If it (local manufacturing of Chinese telecom equipment) is compliant

with the regulations, we may go for it,” Ghosh said.

The telecom ministry has not approved any contract for Chinese equipment orders placed by Indian mobile operators since February 18.

Meanwhile, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday reiterated that the curbs on import of telecom equipment were not aimed at China or any specific country specific but were part of a broader policy.

“We do what is in the interest of India. There are some security parameters which have been defined by the concerned authorities and ministry of home affairs. While we encourage trade, we are also mindful of some of the needs of the security establishment,” Sharma told a gathering of industrialists at CII.

(with inputs from Shruti Verma in New Delhi)