Chinese firm cleared of Taleban link

The company was furious about the reports

By the BBC's Habib Beary in Bangalore

A Chinese software company, Huawei Technologies, based in India's silicon valley, has been cleared of any links to the Taleban in Afghanistan.

Mr Kulkarni said he was satisfied with the talks and endorsed the conduct of the company

This follows a meeting on Friday with information technology officials in the Indian state of Karnataka.

The row over the company's alleged links with the Taleban regime had threatened to mar Sino-Indian bilateral ties.

The company was under a cloud for allegedly supplying telecom software to the deposed regime in Afghanistan.

'Nothing to hide'

Huawei Chief Operating Office JackLu Ke presented his case before Karnataka Information Technology Secretary Vivek Kulkarni and other officials of the state government.

JackLu, who rushed back from China on Thursday, told state government officials that his company had nothing to hide and allayed apprehensions of its alleged misconduct in international dealings.

Bangalore is India's Silicon Valley

The meeting had been called following reports that the Home Ministry had been tipped off by the FBI about possible links with the Taleban and Iraq.

Reports also speculated that the Home Ministry might deport 178 Chinese software engineers working at the company's two software facilities in Bangalore.

Mr Kulkarni said he was satisfied with the talks and endorsed the conduct of the Chinese company which set up shop here last year.

The company has categorically denied allegations linking it with Taleban.

It said its global business was in compliance with the UN standards and regulations.

The FBI early this week set off a buzz in Delhi by casting doubts on the company's credentials.

Huawei, one of the top telecom networking companies in Asia, was founded in 1988 by a former Chinese People's Liberation Army officer, Ren Zhengfei.