James Delahunty
24 Oct 2012 19:03
Chinese firm looks to improve image.
Huawei is the world's second largest supplier of telecoms equipment, after Ericsson, but it is currently being hammered by U.S. lawmakers and other world governments for alleged ties to the Chinese government. The company denies any ties to Beijing, and has promised to be more open and transparent, while fighting the image being portrayed of it.
"Huawei has done a very poor job of communicating about ourselves and we must take full responsibility for that," the chairman of its Australian business, John Lord, told reporters on Wednesday. "Huawei has a duty to set the record straight, to dispel the myths and the misinformation."
Lord said that there are no grounds for any governments to fear doing business with Huawei. The Australian government has barred Huawei from a $38 billion project in the country, while U.S. lawmakers have also expressed concerns about the Chinese firm.
To alleviate concerns in Australia, the company is offered to setup a center in Australia where security-cleared officials will be able to examine all of its source code and equipment. It already has such a center in Britain, where it is now the sole equipment provider for Britain's national broadband network. The firm also offered to do the same in the United States, as did ZTE, but a U.S. congressional intelligence committee found that such a center would fall short of addressing security concerns.
The panel recommends that Huawei and ZTE to be locked out of the market.
Much of the suspicion surrounding the unlisted Huawei stems from its founder, Ren Zhengfei, who is a former People's Liberation Army officer.