Reuters has recently unearthed documents which show that China-based bigwig telecommunications manufacturing firm Huawei apparently played loose with trade sanctions in 2010, when one of its main partners allegedly offered to sell embargoed Hewlett-Packard (HP) computer gear to Iranian companies.

According to Reuters, Huawei's privately-owned partner - Hong Kong-based Skycom - offered to sell HP computer equipment worth 1.3 million euros ($1.7 million), in 2010, to Iran's biggest mobile-phone operator, Mobile Telecommunication Co of Iran (MCI).

However, clarifying its stand, Huawei - which became the leading telecom gear maker in the world after its August acquisition of Ericsson - said that the alleged deal was not materialized either by the company itself or its partner Skycom.

Asserting that the document reviewed by Reuters is a "bidding document" which Skycom had submitted to MCI, Huawei said in a stement to Reuters that its business with Iranian companies is "in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including those of the UN, US and EU; and added: "This commitment has been carried out and followed strictly by our company."

Nonetheless, despite the fact that the deal for the sale of embargoed HP equipment to MCI did not actually go through, Reuters said that the incident certainly marks the latest proof of the manner in which "Chinese companies have been willing to help Iran evade trade sanctions."