Huawei CEO says company to reduce its dependence on American suppliers

Huawei's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has said the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to allow American companies to continue selling some products to Huawei won't make much of a difference, and has vowed to further decrease the company's dependence on American suppliers, reports the Shanghai-based news agency The Paper.

"We don't see it having much influence on what we are doing right now," said Ren. "We will continue focusing on doing our own job well."

[File photo: IC]

In May, the United States Commerce Department imposed export controls on Huawei and 70 of its affiliates, banning the export of parts and technology from American firms without government approval. The government later granted a 90-day reprieve ahead of the introduction of the restrictions.

During a press conference at the G20 summit over the weekend, the U.S. president affirmed that American companies could continue selling products to Huawei.

Ren Zhengfei said Huawei is not afraid of the American export restrictions, as its research and development team has a staff of about 80,000 people capable of maintaining its advantage in 5G networking and other fields. He said the restrictions imposed by Trump's administration will only make the teams more united and passionate about their work.

Some products made by Huawei have been affected by the American restrictions, Ren admitted, but he said "there is no problem that cannot be solved."