The Chinese technology company Huawei will set up Russia's 5G communications network. A deal was signed between the two countries on Wednesday following a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Huawei will develop the very latest next-generation 5G network in Russia over the next year. Reporters say the deal will see, "the development of 5G technologies and the pilot launch of 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 Huawei deal with Russia comes as a relief for the tech company, which has had a turbulent time in recent months. The USA has blocked the company, citing it as a national security risk. This resulted in Google denying key services to Huawei phones. Huawei gets half of the chips it uses from US suppliers. Some journalists say the US banning of Huawei could be the beginning of the biggest trade war ever. In addition, the UK-based technology company ARM has cut ties with Huawei. ARM was a key supplier of semi-conductors for Huawei's phones. Australia, Japan and New Zealand have followed suit in banning Huawei from participating in government contracts due to security concerns.