Huawei looks to boost Philippines presence

MANILA, Philippines - Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company, is looking at expanding its presence in the Philippines.

Government officials led by Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez and Huawei’s top officials met in China on the sidelines of the One Belt, One Road forum in May, to discuss possible additional investments in the country, Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) president and CEO Dave Almarinez said in an interview.

Almarinez, who joined the meeting, said Huawei is a good company and the Philippines could benefit with more job opportunities if the Guangdong-headquartered telecommunications giant expands in the country.

“The meeting was about possible investments in the Philippines,” Almarinez said.

During the meeting, the government expressed its willingness to assist Huawei should it decide to expand its presence in the country, he noted.

The Duterte administration’s pivot to China is seen paving the way for more Chinese investments into the country and Huawei could be one such company, Almarinez said.

Last year, Duterte made a landmark official visit to China, heralding a major pivot to the world’s second largest economy and moving away from traditional trading partners such as Europe and the US.

Huawei has been in the Philippines for roughly five years now, with over 400 employees. It is in the carrier business in partnership with local telecommunications providers such as PLDT Corp.

At present, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s core businesses are in fixed network, wireless network, telecom software and core network, service and network energy.

It is also engaged in enterprise networking, information technology and service and in the consumer business which involves devices such as smartphones home devices, and cloud devices.