The US, which added Huawei to a trade blacklist amid escalating trade tensions with China last month, has since urged its allies - including India - to also cut ties with the Chinese firm. The US considers Huawei to be an arm of the Chinese government and thus a threat to its national security. Washington has "warned" the Indian government that Indian companies that supply American-origin products to could face severe punishment, the Economic Times reported today. The US had sent a letter on this to the Ministry of External Affairs on May 27th, in a clear effort to pressure India to act against the Chinese firm. On receiving the letter, the MEA urged the Department of Telecom (DoT) to clear its stand on the participation of Huawei in developing 5G technology in India, according to a report by Times of India. The ministry wanted DoT's inputs to be "factored into the preparatory material” that it will send to the PMO ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the G20 Summit in Japan later this month. A high-level committee at MEA is currently looking into whether Huawei should be allowed to participate in India’s 5G trials, slated to begin later this year. These developments come amid growing concerns of India getting embroiled in the US-China trade war. Earlier, the head of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) PS Raghavan said that the rhetoric from the US and China on Huawei pointed to the possibility of a “technology war” between the…
