The company Huawei will set up Russia's 5G network. A deal was signed on Wednesday following a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Huawei will develop the latest next-generation 5G network in Russia over the next year. Huawei will pilot the fifth generation networks in 2019 and 2020. This will bring cutting-edge technology and high-speed Internet to Russia. Huawei's chairman Guo Ping said he was "very happy" with the agreement "in an area of strategic importance like 5G".
The deal comes as a relief for Huawei. It has had a tough time in recent months. The USA blocked it, calling it a national security risk. This led to Google denying key services to Huawei. The company gets half the chips it uses from the US. The US banning of Huawei could be the start of the biggest trade war ever. Also, the UK-based technology company ARM cut ties with Huawei. ARM was a key supplier of Huawei's semi-conductors. Australia, Japan and New Zealand followed the US and banned Huawei from participating in government contracts over security reasons.