China cries foul over telecom equipment ban

Indian telecom companies have been voicing their concern over the unofficial ban on Chinese equipment for some time now; and on Friday, Beijing added its protest on the issue. Chinese minister of commerce Chen Deming said his country is worried over reports that India is considering a ban on Chinese telecom equipment and hoped that New Delhi would be transparent on the issue.

"We have noticed the list and are making investigations. We hope India will provide a fair, open and transparent investment environment for Chinese companies," Chen said. He was referring to reports that 25 Chinese companies were among the 26 telecom equipment vendors reportedly ''black-listed'' by India because of security concerns.

Chen said Indian authorities have assured that their new security regulations would be fair and transparent and would not be discriminatory and unfair to Chinese companies. "We will wait and see," he was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency. At the same time, Chinese media in general hit out at the Indian government for carrying out an ''under the table'' and ''unfair'' competition against Chinese industry.

China would ''investigate through normal channels between the two governments, and communicate and negotiate with the Indian side after making the facts clear'', Chen said. China's official media, often a close barometer of the ruling Communist Party's position on issues, took a much harder line, publishing seemingly coordinated articles in several of its official publications on Friday, attacking the Indian government for the reported ban.

The Global Times, an English language newspaper, accused the Indian government of  ''raising a big stick'' against Chinese companies and using ''under the table'' measures to gain an unfair advantage over Chinese industry.

''What [Prime Minister Manmohan] Singh's administration has been doing is a disappointment,'' the influential newspaper said in an editorial. ''India should realise that it is unwise and impossible to try to contain the growth of its neighbour.''