Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei says US cannot crush his company
The founder of Huawei said the US cannot “crush” the company, as the country pursues criminal charges against the telecoms giant.
Ren Zhengfei told the BBC that the company will shift investment to the UK if the US continues to take action against the firm.
Read more: UK security services ‘can manage Huawei 5G risks’
US prosecutors filed charges against Huawei last month alleging that the firm committed wire fraud, obstruction of justice and conspiracy in connection with several deals in Iran. The company has denied all charges.
“We will invest even more in the UK. Because if the US doesn’t trust us, then we will shift our investment from the US to the UK on an even bigger scale,” Ren told the BBC
He added: “There’s no way the US can crush us. There world cannot leave us because we are more advanced. Even if they persuade more countries not to use us temporarily, we can always scale things down a bit.”
He said that the arrest of his daughter Meng Wanzhou, who is also Huawei’s chief financial officer, was politically motivated.
Read more: US Vice President calls for EU to leave Iran nuclear deal
On Sunday, the UK’s security services concluded that the country can mitigate the risks of using Huawei equipment in its 5G network, according to the Financial Times.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it is able to allay security concerns amid fears that the Chinese firm’s technology could be used for spying.