By Waldaniel Amadis | 2023-07-31

LIMA -- The trip of two Peruvian congressmen to Spain, invited by the Chinese company Huawei and with all expenses paid, has raised concerns within the Congress after it was revealed that one of them promoted bills that benefited the Shenzhen-based firm.

Peruvian lawmakers Patricia Chirinos (Avanza País) and Luis Aragón (Popular Action) traveled to Barcelona at the end of February to attend the Mobile World Congress (MWC). The legislators acknowledged that all expenses were covered by the Chinese telecom firm Huawei, adding that no funds from the Peruvian parliament were used.

The Infobae news site revealed that, according to the registry of visits to Congress, Huawei representatives Liu Jiaxin, Liu Zhilong and Fiorella Esquives visited Aragón in early February.

Upon his return from Spain, Aragón promoted three bills that offer financial incentives to the electric car industry and facilitate the arrival of international companies.

'Serious infraction'

Pressure on the two members of Congress increased on July 25 with vigorous criticism from the former president of the State Contracts Supervisory Body (OSCE), Mónica Yaya.

In an interview with the Regional Communication Network (RCR) channel, Yaya said that Congress "does not provide confidence to Peruvians."

For Yaya, who was in charge of oversight of public spending, the two members' acceptance of a Huawei-paid trip seriously breached ethics. She accused them of having received "dádivas" (gifts or bribes) from the Chinese telecom firm.

Congress's Internal Code of Ethics prohibits receiving any type of gifts or benefits, even if they are offered as an invitation.

The legislators committed a "serious infraction" of the Codes of Ethics, said Yaya. She questioned the "slowness" of the Prosecutor's Office and oversight agencies in investigating the pair.

In April, Huawei announced that it would partner with Chinese car manufacturers Chery Automobile, BAIC Motor, and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group to produce electric vehicles, according to Reuters.

The United States and multiple European countries have banned Huawei from supplying equipment to government agencies and strongly discouraged its use in the private sector over concerns that it could be obliged to share intelligence with the Chinese government.

Huawei, which outwardly was just a cell phone and consumer product manufacturer, in reality, is supported heavily by the Chinese government and has deep links to the People's Liberation Army.