Huawei restates commitment to the UK, despite election

Chinese communications firm Huawei has restated its commitment to the UK in light of the recent, indecisive, general election. 

Huawei's devices are rapidly growing in popularity around the world. [Photo: VCG]

Huawei has invested over £1 billion in research, development and marketing in Britain, and has become one of the leading Chinese investors in the country. 

The news will come as relief to many Britons, who are growing increasingly concerned about the impact that Brexit, and a coalition government, will have on their economy. 

The general election result could also have an impact on business and trade ties between China and the UK. If you're interested in this, you can find our special report on the matter here. 

As we concluded in that report, the immediate implication of the British general election to China will depend entirely on how Theresa May is able to weather what is now her biggest challenge - negotiations to agree the terms of the UK's exit from the European Union.

These will begin in a week, and she now enters them in a drastically weakened position. On top of the aforementioned lack of a parliamentary majority, she can also no longer claim that she has a popular mandate for her preferred 'hard Brexit'. As the old saying goes, she will be 'between a rock and a hard place' - facing euro-skeptics in her own party, public opinion which is against her preferred outcome and strong EU negotiators. 

Meanwhile, Huawei remains a company with a significant presence in the United Kingdom market, with offices in Basingstoke, Ipswich and London.

In sales terms, it has enjoyed significant success, becoming the third largest manufacturer, behind Apple and Samsung.

Over 2016, Huawei continued to grow its market share in the UK, with Apple reporting three successive quarters of sales declines.