A view of Huawei's exhibition area at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province in October Photo: Zhang Hongpei/GT

As Huawei has donated medical supplies and communications equipment and technology to European countries to help fight the COVID-19, a Chinese analyst said the the Chinese telecommunications giant may also donate to the US if it is given an opportunity.

The Irish Times reported Friday that Huawei will send "a large number" of items, including medical equipment and internet and communications technology (ICT), to Ireland to help combat against the coronavirus and support internet needs.

"Huawei will donate personal protective equipment to help those working on the frontline, and ICT solutions, which could help with video conferencing, or any other useful applications for those who need it," the report said, citing David Kenny, deputy general manager of Huawei Ireland.

Meanwhile, Huawei has donated masks, protective suits as well as video conferencing and connectivity tools to hospitals in Italy, according to media reports.

Huawei recently announced to donate 500,000 masks to Japanese hospitals, of which 200,000 have already been shipped to two hospitals in Aichi Prefecture on Thursday, the Kyodo News reported.

Huawei is yet to respond to a Global Times request for comment as of press time.

The move reflects the social responsibility of Huawai as a corporate giant, and its efforts at maintaining good relations with its European clients, Xiang Ligang, an industry analyst and a close follower of Huawei, told the Global Times Saturday.

"Huawei may also want to donate to the US if it's given an opportunity since the US has been ravaged by the coronavirus," Xiang said, noting that "the US may not want donations from China due to the intense trade relations."

In the US, some small telecommunications carriers in remote areas use Huawei's networks due to lower costs.

However, amid an intensified US crackdown on Huawei, over the past two years, the company has been expanding its foothold in the European market. So far, Huawei has been awarded 91 commercial 5G contracts, more than half of which are from the European market, the company revealed.

On March 10, the US Commerce Department extended a license allowing US firms to continue doing business with Huawei until May 15, following a previous extension to April 1.

Global Times