#Huawei already making equipment without US parts, says founder

Chinese tech firm Huawei is already producing 5G base stations that do not use any US components, the company’s founder said. Ren Zhengfei (pictured) said his company is making 5,000 base stations per month and plans to ramp up production to make 1.5m of the telecoms hubs next year.

US President Donald Trump has added Huawei to a trade blacklist over concerns its technology could be used for spying by authorities in Beijing – accusations the Chinese company has always denied. The move effectively blocks Huawei from doing business with US firms and means it will not have access to American technology.

Will Zhang, Huawei’s president of corporate strategy, told Reuters the performance of the US-free base stations was “no worse” than its existing models.

However, Ren said Huawei would still like to use US components if possible because it has “emotional ties” with long-time American suppliers. Ren also revealed that his company would be willing to license its 5G mobile technology to a US company, even if that created a new rival. The offer could also include chip design know-how, he added.

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