Huawei Founder Professes Love For China, Insists Company Is Not A Government Spy
Time and again, United States government officials and agencies have warned that Huawei and other Chinese telecommunication companies pose a security threat, due to spying concerns. Huawei has repeatedly denied being in bed with China's government, so to speak. Its founder recently doubled down on the company's denial that it's not a spy for China, while also acknowledging a love for his country and the Communist party.
"I still love my country, I support the Communist party, but I will never do anything to harm any country in the world," Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said, according to a report in the Financial Times. Zhengfei added that Huawei had "never received any request from any government to provide improper information."
Zhengfei is a former military officer who founded Huawei over three decades ago. He currently owns a small 1.14 percent stake in the company, and mostly stays out of the limelight. Part of the reason he's in it now, however, is because his daughter, Meng Wanzhou, is currently being detained by Canadian authorities.
Wanzhou is Huawei's chief financial officer. US authorities asked Canada to detain her last month over allegations that she misled banks about the company's control of a firm operating in Iran. This has caused further tensions between Canada and China, not to mention US and China.
It is an unfortunate situation all around, including for consumers. We've reviewed a handful of Huawei's phones and laptops, and for the most part, they offer compelling features and performance for the money. However, despite efforts to crack the US market, Huawei has had a tough time pushing its products stateside.
This past August, for example, President Donald Trump banned the use of devices from Huawei and ZTE among government officials. The US has also petitioned its allies to do the same. This is in addition to urging US wireless carriers and retail chains to avoid Huawei.
