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Fresh from agreeing a US$56m deal with Kiwi firm Rakon, Huawei’s CEO Ren Zhengfei arrives in Australia to cement their credentials as a mainstream vendor.

Zhengfei made the rare week long trip, meeting with a string of key politicians at both state and federal level following a ban on their bid for the NBN work.

During the week-long tour, Zhengfei met with federal communications minister Stephen Conroy and state premiers including Victoria’s Ted Baillieu and New South Wales’ Barry O’Farrell, as the region looks to build stronger ties with China.

After Huawei posted FY2011 revenues of A$229 million, 34% up year-on-year, the firm’s Australian board of directors agreed to begin reinvesting local profits back into the Australian market.

The trip has seen encouragement for the company’s global management to set up an R&D base in-country with the resolution to reinvest Australian profits back into local operations moving a step closer to reality.

“The Premier visited Huawei’s R&D facility in Shanghai in 2011, and the NSW Government would be delighted if Huawei decided to establish an R&D facility in NSW,” says a spokesperson for O’Farrell.

“We are committed to increasing investment in NSW and strengthening ties with our major trading partners, including China.”

“The Premier recently returned to China for his second official visit to the country, leading a high level trade and investment delegation from NSW that visited Beijing, Chengdu, Jinan and Guangzhou.”