Huawei Founder Brushes Off US Entity List, Trade War

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said President Donald Trump is giving the Chinese company motivation to "survive by ourselves."

What Happened

Zhengfei told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that he doesn't care about ongoing U.S.-China trade talks, because Huawei has "virtually no" business dealings in the U.S.

If Trump were to reverse on the entity list that prevents American companies from selling components to Huawei, the executive said he would welcome the move. Otherwise, he said Huawei will survive on its own just fine.

"They may as well keep us there forever because we'll be fine without them."

Looking back at the prior Obama administration, the 75-year old founder said the company didn't go through "any difficult situations.

The same can also be said about the Trump administration, but with one key difference, Zhengfei said: Trump "gave us the motivation" to work harder.

CEO: America A 'Great Country'

The U.S. is a country that "has a strong capacity to innovate" and is a source of inspiration for Chinese companies that "admire the U.S.," the CEO said. Personally, Zhengfei said he "worships" America for being a "great country."

"I haven't stopped loving America because America attacked me," he said. "Since Huawei was founded, the spirit of Silicon Valley, the sleepless Silicon Valley spirit, has been imprinted in the mind of all our employees."

Related Links:

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