Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Chinese tech giant Huawei, said in an interview that the arrest of his daughter, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou, was a politically motivated act and unacceptable.

Ren Zhengfei. [Photo by Xinhua]

"The US likes to sanction others, whenever there's an issue, they'll use such combative methods,” Ren said to US accusations in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday. "We object to this. But now that we've gone down this path, we'll let the courts settle it."

Previously, Meng was provisionally detained by Canadian authorities on behalf of the US, when she was transferring flights in Vancouver, Canada, according to a Huawei statement.

“The US Justice Department started ‘unreasonable suppression’ and ‘technology bullying’ actions that reportedly unsealed criminal charges against Huawei, and continues to seek the extradition of Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou from Canada,” according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

"There's no way the US can crush us," Ren said. "The world cannot leave us because we are more advanced. Even if they persuade more countries not to use us temporarily, we can always scale things down a bit."

Ren reiterated that there is no impact on Huawei’s business due to Meng’s loss of freedom. The company has established processes and procedures, and no longer relies on any one person, he said.

When asked about the impact of the US getting partners to shut Huawei’s equipment out, Ren said, “If the lights go out in the West, the East will still shine. And if the north goes dark, then there is still the south.” 

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