The Chinese telephone giant, Huawei, will launch the construction of a telecom equipment factory in Brumath, near Strasbourg.

A strategic choice for the group, which is banned by many states, but should ultimately create 500 jobs in this region of Alsace.

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The announcement fell Thursday, the Chinese telephone giant is setting up in France.

Huawei will launch the construction of a telecom equipment factory in Brumath, near Strasbourg.

A first outside of China for the group, which has chosen to invest in France rather than elsewhere, where it is still rather well regarded.

Because this is no longer the case in the United States, where the Chinese giant, suspected of espionage, is outright banned.

And in recent months, several countries have followed Washington's lead and distanced themselves from Huawei, including the United Kingdom.

Cordial relations with France

The company therefore had to review its strategy, as Minggang Zhang, deputy general manager of Huawei France, explained to Europe 1 a few months ago: "In this situation, today, the European market is becoming an even more important market. , we can say almost vital even. It means that there could be more investments in Europe and therefore obviously in France. And it could be reinforced. In even more critical areas, part of 5G technology is being developed in France."

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And yet we too have taken preventive measures.

Telecom operators, for example, are prohibited from using Huawei to build their 5G network.

But despite this, relations with France are cordial.

"Bercy welcomes our investments with open arms," ​​we say at Huawei.

In fact, the Chinese giant employs 1,000 people in our territory and its purchases from French suppliers amount to 800 million euros.

Jobs and activity

In Brumath, the announcement was all the more welcomed as the group should eventually employ 500 people.

"I am a manager in a hotel so it can bring me back a lot of occupancy rates, catering for lunch formulas at noon", rejoices this resident who does not care about the controversies around the Chinese company, particularly concerning the 5G.

"In any case, it will be progress and we must not rebel against progress".

Another, more worried, still wishes to relativize: "Are the Chinese going to have the hold on the world? That's the risk, but it's not because of this factory in Brumath that it will capsize ". 

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For Claude Sturni, who presides over the agglomeration of Haguenau and led Brumath's candidacy for this Huawei project, it should not be made a political question: "We do not discuss the merits of the establishment of a arms factory or a food factory. These are jobs, we need them ", before closing the subject:" We are not discussing a landing of completely unknown Chinese either.