Huawei invites media to HQ to clear the air

ShaNGhaI: Chinese telecom giant Huawei has issued an unusual invitation to foreign media outlets to visit its facilities and meet staff as the company pushes bacwk against global pressure arising from US accusations that it spies for Beijing.

Huawei on Thursday purchased full-page adverts in major US newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post to invite US media to visit its Shenzhen headquarters in southern China next week, extending a similar welcome to AFP yesterday.

Bearing the headline “Don’t believe everything you hear”, the advert was attributed to Huawei board director Catherine Chen.

“I am writing to you in the hopes that we can come to understand each other better,” it said.

“In recent years, the US government has developed some misunderstandings about us. We would like to draw your attention to the facts.”

US President Donald Trump’s administration has in recent months ramped up efforts to block Huawei, the leader in 5G technology, by urging allies to avoid the Chinese powerhouse, claiming that national security interests are at stake.

Huawei has responded in recent weeks by coming out in public to state its case with a directness unusual for a major Chinese company.

Its 74-year-old founder Ren Zhengfei, who previously rarely spoke to foreign media, has granted repeated interviews since the start of the year to deny that Huawei is a mole for China’s Communist government.

The open letter focused on how the huge company’s systems have contributed to global connectivity.

It invited media outlets to visit its facilities.

“On behalf of Huawei, I would like to invite members of the US media to visit our campuses and meet our employees,” it said.

“Don’t believe everything you hear. Come and see us. We look forward to meeting you.”