CHINA on Wednesday expressed concern and regret that India had not allowed Chinese firms to conduct 5G trials in the country.

India on Tuesday approved applications from firms such as Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung to conduct a six-month trial for the use of 5G technology in the country in cooperation with local telecom operators.

However, Huawei Technologies Co., ZTE Corp. and other Chinese telecom firms, which have been operating in the country for years, were not included in the upcoming trial.

“Chinese firms have been operating in India for years, providing mass job opportunities and making contribution to India’s infrastructure construction in telecommunications,” Wang Xiaojian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy to India, said in a statement.

“To exclude Chinese telecommunications companies from the trials will not only harm their legitimate rights and interests, but also hinder the improvement of the Indian business environment.”

Last year, Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, said that it was open to collaborating with global technology firms, including those from China, for components.

“Huawei, over the last 10 or 12 years, has become extremely good with their products to a point where I can safely today say their products at least in 3G, 4G that we have experienced is significantly superior to Ericsson and Nokia without a doubt. And I use all three of them,” Sunil Mittal, the founder of Airtel, said at a conference last year. (CGTN)