China Power

Huawei Officially Gives Up On The US Market

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China Power

Huawei Officially Gives Up On The US Market

Pushed out by security concerns, Huawei is abandoning the U.S. market — and won’t even miss it.

Huawei Officially Gives Up On The US Market
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Huawei is back in the news as the Chinese telecommunications firm indicated today that it was giving up on the U.S. market. Financial Times quotes Huawei’s executive vice president as saying, “We are not interested in the US market any more.” It’s hardly surprising, as Huawei has struggled to gain a foothold in the United States due to security concerns. The company has been repeatedly blocked from bidding on projects to purchase or partner with U.S. technology and telecommunications firms.

The recent comments confirm hints dropped by Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei during an interview with French journalists. According to a transcript of the interview published by Chinese media outlet Huxiu, Ren said it was “not worth it” if Huawei began to influence U.S.-China relations as a whole. In response to speculation that the Chinese government might intervene on Huawei’s behalf, Ren pointed out that Huawei’s U.S. sales only totaled $1 billion, a small fraction of total Chinese trade with the United States. Huawei is a private company, Ren said, with no high standing in the government. Instead of battling suspicions in the United States, the company has decided to withdraw from the market.

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