In the wake of US sanctions on Huawei, Ren Zengfei calls on new president to "open up" and acquire US technologies

Huawei founder calls on Biden administration to adopt 'openness policy'

photo_camera AFP/JESSICA YANG - Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei speaks at a press conference in Taiyuan

The founder of Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications company that is subject to US sanctions, Ren Zengfei, calls on the new US president to adopt a "policy of openness" towards his company during an interview. 

Former President Donald Trump blacklisted Zengfei's brand from acquiring US technologies necessary for the development of the smartphone industry. 

Huawei was founded in 1987 and is now a multinational company with a presence in 170 countries and employs 194,000 people. However, it is at the centre of a conflict between the US and China that stems from a trade and technical war, as well as being under suspicion for espionage.

Despite the US sanctions, the group's founder said on Tuesday he "expects to be able to buy a lot of US equipment, components and materials", saying "Huawei's ability to continue has increased" despite US pressure.

He said he was confident about his company's future. Despite pressure from Washington, he said Huawei's ability to survive has increased. He also said, without giving figures, that revenue and net profit increased during 2020.

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He also said it could "increase its production" despite US restrictions. However, he said that "we still expect to be able to buy large volumes of US materials, components and equipment", the company's founder admitted.

Huawei in China was also heavily penalised by the sanctions. In the fourth quarter of 2020, sales plummeted 44% year-on-year as a result of difficulties in supplying US technologies, according to Canalys.

This distrust of the company is partly due to Ren Zhengfei's military background and his membership of the Chinese Communist Party, which fuels suspicions of the regime's alleged influence over the group.

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