Ken Hu, Huawei Rotating Chairman
Huawei Rotating Chairman Ken Hu held a press conference with leading global media at the company's new campus in Dongguan on Tuesday, December 18. The journalists visited R&D labs showcasing materials and thermal management technologies developed for 5G equipment, as well as an independent cybersecurity lab.
Hu delivered strong messages of confidence in Huawei's business growth and prospects, citing the trust of hundreds of network operators, nearly half of the world's Fortune 500 companies, and hundreds of millions of consumers. Huawei's 2018 revenue, he said, was expected to exceed US$100 billion.
He also directly addressed recent allegations against Huawei, stating that it is best to let facts speak for themselves, while emphasizing repeatedly that the company's security record was clean. Hu noted that there have been no serious cybersecurity incidents in 30 years.
Here are some highlights from the press conference (full transcript below):
- On 5G – Huawei has secured 25 commercial contracts, ranking number one among all ICT equipment providers, having already shipped more than 10,000 base stations to markets around the world. Almost all network customers have indicated they want Huawei, which is currently the market leader with the best equipment and will remain so for at least the next 12 to 18 months, for faster and more cost-effective upgrades to 5G. Some security concerns based on the technology for 5G were very legitimate, noted Hu, but able to be clarified or mitigated through collaboration with operators and governments.
- Cyber security – Security is Huawei's highest priority and it overarches everything. Hu was open to a question about building cyber security evaluation centers in places such as the US and Australia, pointing to similar centers in the UK, Canada, and Germany that are designed to directly identify, address, and mitigate concerns. Huawei has subjected itself to the strictest reviews and screening by regulators and customers, while expressing understanding of legitimate concerns that some stakeholders might have.
- Compliance – Some journalists asked about Huawei's CFO, Ms. Meng Wanzhou. Hu said he was unable to comment due to legal processes underway, but he did express that business operations were not being impacted by this event. Executive travel plans were not impacted, and Huawei remains very confident about its trade compliance system, which has been running since 2007. The company has confidence in the fairness and independence of the judicial systems in Canada and the US.
"I'd like to share a saying from Romain Rolland", Hu said in his closing remarks, echoing the words of the celebrated French writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915.
"'There is only one heroism in the world: to see the world as it is, and to love it'. At Huawei, we see what we have encountered, and we still love the work we are doing. Similarly, in Chinese, we have a saying: 道阻且长,行且将至. It means that the road ahead is long and hard, but we will keep moving and reach the destination, because we have already embarked on this journey".