Telecom Rivalry Rouses Fairness Row in Europe

A Belgian company's recent settlement with China's largest telecom equipment suppliers seemed initially to break the back of a trade dispute in the European Union targeting Chinese imports.

But while Belgium's Option was preparing to drop its case against Chinese companies including employee-owned Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE Corp in exchange for a Huawei agreement to license its software for 27 million euros the first year, European trade unions mounted a new attack.

Telecom supplier workers represented by the European Metalworkers Federation and the European Workers Council filed a joint petition with the European Parliament in early October claiming Chinese companies pose a serious threat to the competitive capacity of their European rivals.