18 | Friday, May 24, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY BUSINESS Focus on Huawei ready for ‘worst­case scenario’ education Easing of restrictions doesn’t mean much, crucial to founder of telecom company says stay ahead, By MA SI [email protected] Ren says As Huawei Technologies Co faces arguably its biggest challenge in its In his wide­ranging interview 30­year­plus history, the company’s with Chinese media, Huawei 74­year­old founder Ren Zhengfei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei wants to show the world that Huawei pointed to education and its is prepared for a worst­case scenario. fundamental role in improving Instead of responding to the US­led China’s competitive strength. crackdown on Huawei with anger, Amid its competition with the Ren, who is also the CEO of Huawei, US, “there is no other road for said he is still of firm belief that global China but to improve its educa­ cooperation is a must to take the tele­ tion”, he said. com industry forward. A country needs to open up to “Huawei is now like a plane, work­ have a future and it is the quality ing hard to fly back (to our base) of its learning culture that fuels while fixing (the holes on) its body,” the strength needed to achieve Ren said during an interview on that, he said. Tuesday. The plane Ren is referring “What is the foundation of a to is an Ilyushin Il­2 aircraft, which strong country? There is the hard­ kept flying despite being hit by anti­ ware, such as railways, highways, aircraft shells and machine­gun fire transportation and urban infra­ and managed to make its way back structure … (but) hardware facili­ home during the World War II. The ties have no ‘soul’, the ‘soul’ lies in image of the aircraft is featured in a … the quality of culture,” Ren said. poster of Huawei’s internal portal. Investment in education is Its tagline reads: Heroes are forged, thus crucial for the country to not born. stay ahead of the game, he said. These words mirror how Huawei, “Starting today, if many chil­ the world’s largest telecom equip­ dren in rural areas earn doctor­ ment maker and second­largest ates, master’s degrees in 20 or smartphone vendor, is dealing with 30 years, they will fight for the the US government’s ban which for­ country in new areas of innova­ bids it from buying US technologies tion and strive for the country’s without special approval. Sound bites new future and destiny,” Ren said. If there is no such culture ‘We are well-prepared’ of learning and improvement, Though wings of “our plane” have only low­level wage earners been struck, the core part of the “air­ will be left to face rising auto­ craft” is based on self­developed mation in many industries, he components using world­leading said. technologies, Ren said. “We are well­ prepared for such a scenario with a Plan B (for all high­end compo­ nents),” he said. Starting today, if In a two­and­half­hour interview with Chinese media, he said the US many children in government’s decision to ease its rural areas earn ban on Huawei for 90 days “doesn’t mean much”, for the company has doctorates, master’s already made sound preparations degrees in 20 or 30 for the restrictions. Huawei founder “We can make the chips that we Ren Zhengfei years, they will fight bought from US companies, but it for the country in does not mean we will stop buying • We can make the chips from them. Instead, we should Top: A visitor tries out Huawei’s 5G technology at a science and technology exhibition in Kiev, Ukraine, new areas of inno­ grow together,” Ren said. earlier this month. CHEN JUNFENG / XINHUA chips that we bought vation and strive for “We don’t want to do harm to Above: President of Huawei’s Honor brand, George Zhao, launches the Honor 20 range of smartphones at from US companies, the country’s new friends,” he said. “We want to help an event in London, Britain, on Tuesday. PETER NICHOLLS / REUTERS but it does not mean them achieve good balance sheets.” future and destiny. According to him, during the we will stop buying ... There is no other “peace period”, half of the company’s systematic manner. “Pouring in When it comes to 5G, the next­ chips from them. chips were from US companies, money is not enough; talent, includ­ generation mobile communications road for China but 50 Instead, we should while the remaining half was devel­ ing mathematicians and physicists, technology, Huawei has maintained to improve its oped by itself. Currently, Huawei million is needed to develop the home­ its edge. Ren highlighted that the grow together. buys at least 50 million sets of chips Number of sets of chips that grown chip sector.” company’s 5G plan will not be affect­ education.” Huawei buys every year from US every year from US semiconductor “Global talent is also needed. It ed by the current challenges. Ren Zhengfei, semiconductor giant Qualcomm • Building an giant Qualcomm Inc. is very difficult to rely solely on “Rivals will not be able to catch up founder and CEO of “If there is a supply shortage, we China’s independent innovation to with Huawei’s 5G technology for information society Huawei Technologies Co have a backup,” said Ren, who succeed. Why can’t we embrace the two to three years,” he said. for human beings founded Huawei in 1987. Huawei’s world and rely on global innova­ By the end of March 2019, Huawei chip­designing arm HiSilicon is now tion?” Ren said. had signed 40 commercial contracts requires joint efforts. While educational levels have capable of designing processors for 179.7 During the interview, Ren for 5G with leading global carriers, greatly improved with the move smartphones, servers, artificial billion yuan thanked the US companies that have and shipped more than 70,000 5G • Rivals will not be toward an “intelligent society”, intelligence products and others. Huawei’s revenue in the helped Huawei grow in the interna­ base stations to markets around the with the state also focusing on HiSilicon President He Tingbo first three months of this year, tional tech arena, adding that many world. These figures represent the able to catch up comprehensive, high­quality said in an internal letter last week: up 39 percent year­on­year of its consultants are from the US industry’s largest. with Huawei’s 5G learning, more is needed to “We have been developing backup companies, including IBM. Ren said that despite the US technology for two spur vocational training, Ren products for years. Such efforts can “Our friendship with them was efforts to make its allies to ban Hua­ said. ensure strategic safety of most of existing networks and provide formed years or decades ago,” Ren wei, the company maintains close to three years. In Germany, for example, a lot the company’s products and con­ software updates for existing Hua­ said, adding that if US companies can ties with European companies. He of attention is rightly given to tinuous supply of most products.” wei handsets. get government approvals, Huawei said its 5G features are well­suited high­level vocational training, When it comes to the operating would still want to buy large quantity for Europe. • The incident he said. system for smartphones, Huawei has Home industry to get boost of components from them and main­ “For instance, 5G capacity is 20 will spur China Ren also spoke about his belief developed its own version, which Wang Peng, deputy head of Chi­ tain normal trade cooperation. times that of 4G, and its power con­ to develop the in the importance of mathemat­ could hit the market as early as this na Center for Information Industry “Building an information society sumption 10 times less. And the size ics and statistics education. autumn. Huawei’s OS is expected to Development, a think tank, said for human beings requires joint of 5G base stations is much smaller electronics industry There have been improvements replace Google’s Android operating the move signifies the US has real­ efforts,” Ren said. than those of 4G, allowing them to in a systematic way. recently and there is now a better system in its smartphones in case the ized that cutting off all supplies to According to him, many small US be conveniently installed even in distribution of math graduates, US tech company restricts its use on Huawei would hurt the interests of companies have super­precision sewers. We use materials that do he said. Huawei devices in compliance with millions of its people. products. not corrode for decades. These are • Supporting Huawei “How many of us are willing to the US ban. “Some small US mobile carriers, “In our business (5G), Huawei is well­suited for Europe, where many in these difficult learn? I did not study mathemat­ These moves are all part of Hua­ for instance, bought Huawei’s cost­ at the forefront, but when it comes old cities do not have places to build times does not ics. I used to say that after I retire, wei’s efforts to prepare for actions effective products to build their to comparison between countries, giant telecom towers and install big I want to find a good university from the US government, which existing rural networks. A sizable we are still far behind the US,” Ren base stations,” Ren said. necessarily mean and learn mathematics,” Ren said.