CHINESE telecommunications company Huawei Technologies said yesterday that it had not worked with Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics (IME) in Dr Shane Todd's specialist field.

Its statement came after the Financial Times reported last Friday that Dr Todd had been working on "what was apparently a joint project" between IME - where he was working - and Huawei shortly before he died last June.

Dr Todd's area of expertise was gallium nitride (GaN), an advanced semiconductor material which has both commercial and military purposes, from blue-ray disc players to military radars.

Huawei said: "IME approached Huawei on one occasion to cooperate with them in the GaN field, but we decided not to accept, and consequently do not have any cooperation with IME related to GaN." It added: "Huawei does not do military equipment or technology nor do we discuss it with partners."

Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research - which IME is part of - has also said it did not progress beyond talks with Huawei on a commercial project.

Huawei is one of the world's largest telecoms equipment companies, but has been suspected of espionage by the United States. The company routinely denies such accusations and has said it is not linked to the Chinese government. But Huawei declined to say whether it had been working on other projects with IME.

FENG ZENGKUN