Huawei to build $1.2 billion British research centre

China’s Huawei Technologies said on Thursday it had received planning permission for a 1 billion pound ($1.2 billion) research and development facility in England.
The new centre will employee around 400 people and focus on producing optical equipment used in fibre-optic communication systems, Huawei said in a statement.
The development is likely to anger officials in the United States and some British lawmakers who say Huawei’s equipment can be used by Beijing for spying and that Britain should reconsider a January decision to allow it a limited role in its 5G networks. The company denies the charges.
British officials are in the process of reviewing how to best mitigate any security risks posed by Huawei in light of new U.S. sanctions announced in May, which aim to cut off the firm’s supply of the advanced microchips needed to make its equipment. A decision is expected in the coming weeks.