Huawei promises €1.5 BILLION French investment

China's telco juggernaut is taking its international charm offensive to France, promising investment, jobs and training after a confab with prime minister Manuel Valls.

According to LesEchos (French original here), Huawei has promised €1.5 billion (just under US$2 billion) in investments, which it says will mostly centre on smartphone development.

The money will be flung in the direction of French suppliers: Huawei's local subsidiary will splash around €475 million of it, with the rest to be spent directly out of head office, the story says.

As well as strengthening existing relationships with companies like STMicro, Huawei is promising more support for France's startup sector.

The company told prime minister Valls it will double its current workforce through 2018, with 650 additional staff including 200 researchers. The Borg-of-the-Orient reckons its spend will indirectly create another 2,000 jobs.

It's part of a long push by Huawei to assimilate itself to its international markets, some of which have been wary of the company's alleged links to the Chinese government and military. Its relationship with the US is frosty, and in spite of lobbying, Australia has blocked the company from participating in its National Broadband Network Project. Late in September, Huawei bought UK Internet of Things outfit Neul. ®