Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei called for a restart in relations between the U.S. and the Chinese tech giant. Speaking to the international media in China for the first time in more than a year, Ren expressed a willingness to speak to President Biden and said he hopes for “open policies” from the new administration.
“I would welcome [a call from Biden]”Ren said in translated comments provided to The Verge and reported by CNBC, AFP and the South China Morning Post. “I would talk to him about common development. Both the US and China need to develop their economies, as this is good for our society and financial balance. “
“Allowing American companies to supply goods to Chinese customers is favorable to their own financial performance,” said Ren. “If Huawei’s production capacity were to expand, it would mean that American companies could sell more. It is a win-win situation. I believe that the new government will weigh and balance these interests when considering its policies. We still hope to be able to buy many components, parts and machinery from the USA so that US companies can also develop with the Chinese economy ”.
Huawei currently cannot do business with American companies because the Trump administration has blacklisted the Department of Commerce, citing national security fears. Among other problems, this means that Huawei cannot license Android from Google, seriously damaging its smartphone business outside of China.
This prompted Huawei to sell its subsidiary Honor to protect the brand and allow it to continue producing smartphones, but Ren dismissed rumors that Huawei could do the same with its own smartphone division. “We will never sell our device business,” he said.
Ren also called the iPhone 12 “the best in the world” and said it helped defend Huawei’s 5G networks. “Many users of high-end devices in Europe use iPhones, and the way these phones operate on our networks in Europe is actually a sign that we are also doing well,” he said.
Update, February 9, 7.55: Ren’s updated quotes reflect an official transcript of the discussion.