With eye on 5G, Huawei to set up first plant in France

Huawei Technologies Co said it plans to spend 200 million euros to build its first European manufacturing plant in France, after the Chinese tech giant secured votes of confidence from several European governments in 5G rollout plans.

The move is also the latest push by Huawei to expand its presence in Europe, which is the company's largest overseas market and is seen by company founder Ren Zhengfei as the enterprise's second home.

Huawei said in a statement that "this highly automated and intelligent facility in France will specialize in 4G and 5G equipment, and will primarily manufacture supplies for European customers."

It is estimated that this project will generate 1 billion euros worth of products annually and directly create 500 jobs, Huawei added.

The world's largest telecom equipment maker said a planned investment of over 200 million euros was announced for this new plant, which will be used for the land, construction, and equipment. Construction will utilize some of the world's most advanced production equipment and tools from local leading partners.

The plant will also have a demo center, showcasing the wireless base station production, software loading, and testing process. The center will be open to carriers, governments, and related authorities, demonstrating Huawei's positive stance on Europe's call for digital sovereignty, the company added.