Seoul: Chinese tech titan Huawei is unaffected by US moves against it. While several countries are taking steps to block its mobile services, there has been ‘no effect’ on the firm’s aviation business, a top company executive said Monday.
Recently, Huawei has been caught in an escalating trade war between the United States and China with President Donald Trump moving to blacklist the Chinese manufacturers. The US Commerce Department last month placed the company on an ‘entity list’ on grounds of national security, a move that limits Huawei’s access to US-made components it needs for its equipment.
But Eman Liu, president of Huawei’s global transportation business unit, said the company’s aviation business was untouched so far.
“Until now, there is no effect,” Liu told AFP on the sidelines of the annual International Air Transport Association (IATA) conference in Seoul.
However, a number of countries have blocked Huawei from working on their mobile networks and several companies have stepped back from the firm following the US ban, citing legal requirements.
“We cannot change the situation right now because we are businessmen,” Liu said. “But we hope the United States can change their way.”
If the US persisted with its moves, Liu said, it would ‘force us to use Plan B’, referring to heavy investments in new technology, including developing its own chips.
“For all the rest of the world, we are keeping doing business with them for more than 10 years.” Liu added.
Huawei has risen to become the world leader in telecom networking equipment and one of the top smartphone manufacturers alongside Samsung and Apple. Apart from this it also provides information and communication technology solutions to more than 50 airports and 15 airlines around the world, including Dubai Airports and the Changi Airport Group in Singapore.
This ban is a result of a long term suspicions about Huawei being controlled by the Chinese government, hence posing as a global threat– charges strongly denied by the firm and by Beijing.
Huawei customers at the event had pledged to ‘keep cooperating’ with the firm despite Washington’s accusations, Liu said.
China’s defence minister has also insisted on Huawei was ‘not a military company’ despite its founder Ren Zhengfei’s previous career in the People’s Liberation Army.
AFP