Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has spoken out about the benefits to be gained by deeper cooperation between US and Chinese companies in the technology field. Talking with international media in a recent press conference, the executive advocated for the easing of US-China trade restrictions, and more open US trade under the Biden administration.
In recent years, the US has adopted stricter trade policies with China, particularly in the technology domain. Zhengfei acknowledged that some US politicians have concerns over the potential impact of 5G and the security of these networks. Reiterating comments from last year, Zhengfei stressed that Huawei is open to working with US companies to transfer knowledge around 5G and collaborate on technology licensing.
Ren Zhengfei, found and CEO of Huawei, said;
Trade benefits all sides. Allowing US companies to supply goods to Chinese customers is conducive to their own financial performance. If Huawei's production capacity is expanded, that would also mean US companies could sell more to Huawei. It's a win-win situation.We still hope to be able to buy a lot of US components, parts, and machinery, so that US companies can also develop with the Chinese economy. As long as the US asks for it, we would transfer everything from the [5G] source programs and source code to hardware design. I meant what I said, but no US company has come forward. If they want to talk, we'd be happy to talk.
The executive added that Huawei doesn’t have the energy to get involved in a “political whirlpool” and prefers to focus on technology innovation. The executive elaborated on how there are many industries that Huawei is not directly familiar with, such as airports, ports, coal mining, iron and steel production, and automotive and aircraft manufacturing. That is why Huawei has built joint labs to learn more about the needs of these industries. Huawei now has more than 100 research centers and joint labs around the world, most of which specialize in areas like mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and aesthetics. Some of these are applied research labs Huawei has built with its customers, such as joint labs with telecom operators.