US networking security company Symantec (SYMC.NASDAQ) will sell its 49% stake in its joint venture with Huawei Technologies back to the Chinese company, the Financial Times reported. Symantec, the world’s largest seller of security software, agreed to sell its stake for US$530 million, making a US$380 million profit on its initial investment. The sale gives privately-held Huawei 100% control of its former joint venture with Symantec. Symantec CEO Enrique Salem said that the company had achieved its goal in investing in Huawei by learning more about the telecommunications industry and that the company would continue licensing its software to Huawei for at least seven years. Huawei has been blocked from some US projects over security concerns surrounding its hardware, frustrating some of its attempts to move into the US market. But Salem said that political concerns were not the reason for the divestment.
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