There are concerns over Beijing growing influence in the Asia-Pacific after China-based technology and telecommunications giant Huawei announced it would be investing US$100 million (AUS $136 million) into building up its portfolio of startups in the Asia Pacific. Huawei Cloud’s Spark Program—which aims to sign up 1,000 startup businesses in the region—has expanded its reach to encompass Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam after already establishing startup hubs across Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand. “Since its launch in 2017, HUAWEI CLOUD has been the world’s fastest-growing cloud, and has driven the growth of countless startups,” said CEO of Huawei’s Cloud Business Unit, Zhang Ping’an. “Through this program, we are working with local governments, leading incubators, well-known VC (venture capital) firms, and top universities to build support platforms for startups in many regions.” The program seeks to grow startup “ecosystems” in the Asia Pacific, injecting businesses or organisations with …