Huawei, along with other Chinese telecom operators banned from deals in India, is seeking to convince the Indian security establishment that it poses no security threat and is in a process of turning into "not just a Chinese company."

Quoting a person close to the company, The Economic Times reported Tuesday that senior Huawei executives are to meet high-ranking officials of the Indian security establishment this week to try and resolve a ban on deals between Indian mobile opera-tors and Chinese equipment firms.

Since February 18, Huawei, ZTE and another Chinese telecom equipment company have been barred from any new contracts, while all equipment deals with Western vendors have been approved during this period, the newspaper said.

The Indian home ministry since 2005 has warned that foreign telecom equipment vendors may install spyware and malware able to monitor voice and data traffic and bring down networks, and recently mandated that foreign manufacturers make core telecom equipment locally or transfer technology to Indian manufacturers.

In a letter to the prime minister's principal secretary, the company pointed out it is "not just a Chinese company," as 85 percent of its staff and nearly all research and development workforce are Indians.

"Huawei is willing to give additional information that the Indian government agencies require. This is our commitment," a Huawei official wrote in the letter.

The company is also restructuring operations to put Indian residents into positions of its local arm, including the chairman and the board of directors.

Like other Chinese firms, Huawei has won preference among Indian mobile operators with its "ultra-cheap equipment" that matches that of Western vendors in quality, the report added. No comments were available from Huawei Tuesday.

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