NEW DELHI: Indian tax officials on Wednesday conducted searches at the offices of Chinese tech giant Huawei, the firm said, days after New Delhi banned a host of Chinese apps over national security concerns.

Tensions between New Delhi and Beijing have been running high since a deadly 2020 clash involving their militaries in a disputed Himalayan border area.

The latest volley from India saw officials from its income tax department search Huawei India’s premises in Gurgaon, on the outskirts of capital New Delhi, and in the southern tech hub of Bangalore, according to the company.

“We have been informed of the visit of income tax team to our office and also of their meeting with some personnel,” Huawei India said in a statement. Huawei was confident their operations in India were “firmly compliant” to local laws and they would fully cooperate with the authorities, the statement added. Indian authorities were not immediately available for comment.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2022