Southeast Asian countries eyeing the promise of 5G connectivity to boost economic development are sticking to Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei among others.

Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have indicated they may allow Huawei to help build their fifth-generation mobile communications networks. The 10-member regional bloc also includes Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.

Economic considerations and a strategic foreign policy element are among the reasons why Southeast Asian countries have adopted a relative openness toward Huawei, said Amalina Anuar, an analyst with the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

“Huawei’s 5G technology is generally reputed to be both advanced and relatively more affordable,” said Anuar. “Having a multivendor approach and avoiding exclusion of Huawei is considered a more balanced policy option so (that) ASEAN members don’t have to choose sides.”