Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Abraham Liu, Huawei’s Chief Representative to the EU Institutions, also made a robust defence of the company’s reputation which has again come under scrutiny following Google’s move.
The tech giant acted after the Trump administration added Huawei to its “entity list” which prevents the company from acquiring technology from US firms without government licence.
When Google launches the next version of Android later this year, it may not be available on Huawei devices.
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Huawei had already organised a briefing on 5G at its Cybersecurity Transparency Centre which coincided with the latest developments.
Liu, addressing reporters on the Google development, said he wanted to emphasise “two major points.”
“Firstly, Huawei’s 5G has been co-developed by Europeans and is tailor-made for Europe’s needs and challenges. Secondly, the way Huawei is treated by the current US administration should worry everybody who cares for the respect of the rule of law.”
“Huawei’s 5G solution is not just the best on the market. But it is to a large extent a European product; and it is tailor-made for Europe’s needs. Huawei has been operating in Europe for nearly twenty years. We now have 12,200 employees in Europe, 70 percent hired locally.”
“Huawei is becoming the victim of bullying by the US administration. This is not just an attack against Huawei. It is an attack on the liberal, rules-based order. This is dangerous” Abraham Liu, Huawei’s Chief Representative to the EU Institutions
“We are pleased that Europe is coming out with its coordinated approach to 5G. The European Union has proved its capacity of bringing European countries together to develop some of the most advanced and comprehensive laws like GDPR. Europe should continue to drive that agenda forward. The EU should make decisions for the benefit of Europe and its citizens,” Liu said.
He added, “Huawei has been respecting all applicable laws and regulations. Now Huawei is becoming the victim of bullying by the US administration. This is not just an attack against Huawei. It is an attack on the liberal, rules-based order. This is dangerous.”
“Now it is happening to Huawei. Tomorrow it can happen to any other international company. Can we shut our eyes to such behaviour?”
Liu went on, “Huawei will persevere. We are a global company and our international operations will continue. Not only are we continuing to invest in Europe, we are also proactively endeavouring to mitigate the impact of the decision made by the Bureau of Industry of the US Department of Commerce.”
“Let me stress this: Huawei is doing everything we can to make sure the negative impact of the decision is mitigated.”
The company said it would continue to provide security updates and after sales services to all existing smartphone and tablet products covering those that have been sold or still in stock globally.