A Chinese territory inside India

NEW DELHI: It's not without reason that the security agencies continue to eye Huawei with suspicion. For, the Chinese firm’s R&D facility in Bangalore operates with a secrecy so intense that a larger part of its premises are completely out of bounds for Indians.

At Huawei Technologies’ R&D facility in Bangalore, only the ground and first floors are reportedly accessible to Indian staff. The floors beyond can be accessed only by the Chinese executives and managers, a top intelligence official told ET.

Though Chinese form only a minuscule percentage of Huawei India’s staff at the Bangalore facility, it is they who enjoy exclusive and unrestricted access to R&D office’s top floors. There is not much information on what equipment is tested and what goes on in the ‘Chinese-only’ parts of the building. But intelligence agencies have noticed how Chinese employees of Huawei often have an extended stay in Bangalore for months together.

Though attempts were made by security agencies a few months ago to probe the purpose behind these long-drawn business trips by the Chinese staff of Huawei to Bangalore, they were told curtly that the Chinese were staying on to learn and master English!