Huawei founder: US wants to curb China

Ren Zhengfei, the founder and the president of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, said the United States doesn't want to see a stronger China during his first ever interview with Chinese media in June.

Ren Zhengfei, the founder and the president of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. [sohu.com]

Huawei is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong. It is the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world. Forbes magazine also listed Ren as the 193th richest person in China in 2013 with private assets of approximately US$920 million.

In the United States, Huawei has been dealing with U.S. security officials' accusations that Huawei-made telecommunications equipment is designed to allow unauthorized access by the Chinese government and the Chinese army, since Ren served as an engineer in the army in the early 1980s.

"When China becomes stronger, America hits it harder," Ren said at his company's internal award ceremony with media members present. "Actually, Huawai really is not what the U.S. wants to strike, what they want is to strike China. Because America doesn't want to see China become stronger, they have to find some way to use their power to curb it. So, I think there would be difficulties for Huawei's development. We don't know how big the difficulties are but we have to try hard to figure out how to overcome them."

Ren said Huawei has more than 40,000 foreign employees, .

"First, we are a Chinese enterprise, so supporting the Communist Party and loving China are the bottom line," Ren said. "Second, when Chinese staff go abroad, we will ask them to obey the local laws and ethics. We have a legal committee and a democratically elected moral committee to control staffers' actions in foreign countries. And the foreign employees should also obey China's rules and morals. At least they should understand China."

He added, "We also are a global company. Whoever does it best in the world, that's who will lead the company."

Ren pointed out Huawei is a Chinese company that just adopted an international operation model.

Ren said Huawei's company culture is "to serve the clients, fight for clients, and earn clients money." The man stressed that their managing theory comes from China's old civilization and Communist Party, which advocates "serve the people."

"We want to earn your money. We must provide our best service. Why shouldn't you treat those well when they give you money? Our value is just that, no more," Ren said.

He also compared China and America's education.

"When children go to school in countries like the U.S. and the U.K., they will be taught grand vision, global history and how to be a leader and how to go to the world to collect money. But in Chinese culture, children are taught to be good engineers. Why are we not innovative enough? Because we don't want to be world leaders, we just want to be engineers, and what engineers do is imitation," Ren said.

Ren Zhengfei sees Huawei as its own biggest rival.

"The biggest competitor is ourselves. As Huawei progresses, the only thing which can get in our way is internal corruption," Ren said.

Sun Yafang is the chairwoman of the board for Huawei now, but Ren is still the most powerful man in the telecom giant, although he only owns a 1.4 percent share in the whole company.

"I don't control this company via legal methods or via shares. I just talk. When you think what I'm talking about is right, you listen, when you think it's not right, you tell me the opposite opinions. I don't insist everything goes my way. We discuss and move forward, not by vote," Ren said.

At 70 years old, Ren,was asked by media who his successor will be. He said his family will never inherit the company.

"We have too many candidates, but my family will never be involved," he said. "This is to avoid the outside and inside speculation, which will mess up the company."

Ren still doesn't think Huawei matures as a company.

"We are just young and we cannot shoulder too much weight," he said.