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Huawei founder says West would be ‘foolish’ not to buy its 5G products as they are leading edge

  • In his first ever TV interview, Ren Zhengfei said Huawei’s wireless and 5G solutions are world class and will solve issues many Western countries face in 5G

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Ren Zhengfei, founder and CEO of Huawei, gestures during a round table meeting with the media in Shenzhen on January 15, 2019. Photo: AP
Li Taoin Shenzhen

Huawei Technologies founder Ren Zhengfei went on China’s state broadcaster to defend the telecommunications gear supplier’s track record in his first-ever television interview, a move prompted by western government bans on its 5G equipment over security concerns.

Speaking in a CCTV interview that aired Sunday, the 74-year-old founder of the company said Huawei’s wireless and 5G solutions are world class and will solve issues many Western countries face in 5G development, especially in sparsely populated rural areas.

“They are foolish and will lose money if they don’t buy [our products],” Ren told a CCTV reporter who asked his view on the bans some countries have slapped on Huawei equipment.

“We have many things that the European and American countries need, and they will have to purchase from us,” said Ren, who added that he was confident about Huawei’s competitive position in wireless and 5G development when compared to its global peers.

Ren, who has rarely spoken to the media since founding Huawei in 1987, has embarked on a public-relations campaign to rebuild the company’s image, speaking with at least three groups of reporters in Shenzhen last week, including a group interview with selected international media, a group interview with domestic media, as well as the CCTV appearance.

Ren admitted that he was “forced” by Huawei’s public relations team to agree to the interviews as the company was in a “transitional stage” of the current crisis and must unite its customers and 180,000 employees so they understand the company better and can deal with this difficult period. Ren added that the company believes he has the authority and should speak to the public.

Li Tao
Li Tao is a former senior technology reporter for the Post, based in Shenzhen. He focuses on big enterprises including Alibaba, Huawei and ZTE, hardware makers, and smartphone brands such as Oppo, Vivo and Oneplus. He joined the Post in 2017 after working for more than seven years with China Daily in Hong Kong. He has masters degrees in both laws and journalism.
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