Visitors try new Huawei P30 smartphones at a store in Tokyo on May 21. Photo: VCG

Japanese telecom carrier Internet Initiative Japan (INJ) announced on Tuesday that it will start selling the latest devices from Huawei, a move that could help the Chinese telecom giant to regain global ground as the US softens its stance.

INJ said that it would start to sell Huawei gadgets, including the latest P30 and P30lite smartphones and the MediaPad M5 lite tablets, according to a report by nikkei.com on Tuesday. 

The Japanese carrier had previously delayed the sales of Huawei devices due to concerns over the US ban on Huawei imports, which could block Huawei's access to Google's software.

"We made the decision after thorough consideration, including a speech by US President Trump," the company was quoted as saying in the report.

The decision followed comments by Trump on Saturday. During the G20 summit, Trump made an announcement that he would relax the ban on Huawei products, meaning US-based companies like Google would not have to get special permission to do business with the company.

He Weiwen, a former senior Chinese trade official, told the Global Times that the impact of Trump's promise may be "limited" judged by its previous arbitrary nature, but it is a positive sign that the US government is pressured by lobby groups of its technology companies that are looking to work with Huawei.

"It is ultimately a struggle between the market and politics," He said.

"For companies like Qualcomm and Google, Huawei and the Chinese market is too much to lose. It is still uncertain exactly to what extent can these companies influence the government's decision on Huawei, but there is no doubt that they will keep on trying for their own good."

He noted that from an economic and development perspective, cooperating with Huawei is an "absolutely sensible decision for any country", as the company has the some of the best and most modern products and technologies in 5G that will speed up innovation.

Huawei is working closely with international partners on the emerging technology despite pressure from the US. At the end of May, Huawei released its Mate 20 X 5G smartphones in London, the UK and on Monday, the government in the Netherlands, where many network service providers are backed by Huawei facilities, released a report on 5G infrastructure that did not exclude Huawei as a potential technology provider.

India, which is making efforts to digitalize itself, is considering the possibility of collaborating with Huawei to make use of its technological edge in 5G. India should "support all field trials, including Chinese vendors, adopting sufficient additional safeguards," India's Ministry of External Affairs said, according to a report by the Times of India on Tuesday.

"The fact that the market is choosing Huawei against strong US hostility is evidence of the company's competitiveness," Bai Ming, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce's International Market Research Institute, said.

"For developing countries - like India, for example - Huawei can offer leading technology and products at reasonable prices. Especially with the company's expertise in 5G, it will be a big opportunity that the country needs to seize not to be left behind," Bai said. 


Newspaper headline: Japanese carrier starts Huawei device sales