HERE.
>> WHY ARE YOU HERE?
CONNELL: YEAH.
>> WELL, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN OPEN
AND TRANSPARENT ABOUT INVITING
JOURNALISTS LIKE YOURSELF BEING
JOURNALISTS, NEWS ORGANIZATIONS
TO COME VISIT HUAWEI.
THERE IS LOTS OF
MISUNDERSTANDING, LOTS OF
MISINFORMATION OUT THERE ABOUT
WHAT WE DO.
SO IT IS ALWAYS GREAT AND
WELCOME TO HUAWEI WHEN NEWS
ORGANIZATIONS COME TO TALK TO US
FACE-TO-FACE.
CONNELL: PICK ONE, I KNOW YOU'RE
IN TOUCH WITH, YOU TRAVEL A LOT.
YOU'RE BACK FROM AN EVENT IN
MEXICO CITY.
PICK ONE MISUNDERSTANDING, IF
YOU HAD TO SAY HERE IS SOMETHING
ABOUT HUAWEI THAT THE PEOPLE IN
THE UNITED STATES GENERALLY
SPEAKING ARE GETTING WRONG, WHAT
IS IT?
>> I WOULD SAY THAT THERE IS A
HUGE MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE
TYPE OF COMPANY THAT HUAWEI IS.
HUAWEI IS A PRIVATELY OWNED
COMPANY.
MORE THAN THAT IT HAS VERY KIND
OF UNIQUE OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE IN
WHICH ALL THE EMPLOYEES HAVE
OWNERSHIP OF THE COMPANY, OKAY?
IT IS KIND OF A COMPANY HELD IN
TRUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE
EMPLOYEES.
THERE IS NO REAL CONNECTION TO
THE STATE, IN CHINA.
WE ARE PART OF THAT, THRIVING,
YOU KNOW, PRIVATE BUSINESS
SECTOR.
I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY THE
FUNDAMENTALLY THE BIGGEST
MISUNDERSTANDING.
CONNELL: THAT THERE IS NO
CONNECTION BETWEEN HUAWEI AND
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, NO
DIRECT CONNECTION.
>> THERE IS NO SILENT
CONNECTION, NO OWNERSHIP, NO
PERCENTAGE OF SHARE HOLDING THAT
IS PART OF THE CHINESE STATE.
CONNELL: NOW THE QUESTIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP WHEN
ACCUSATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE
AGAINST THE COMPANY, MOSTLY NOW
FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAVE
CENTERED AROUND THINGS THAT
MIGHT HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.
OF COURSE THERE HAS BEEN BACK
AND FORTH BETWEEN YOU AND OTHER
COMPANIES ABOUT INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY.
A LOT OF THAT IS LITIGATED IN
THE COURTS, TALKED ABOUT, WHAT
HAVE YOU.
MOST CURRENT QUESTIONS SEEM TO
BE ABOUT THINGS THAT COULD
HAPPEN, THAT HUAWEI COULD BE
USED TO FACILITATE SPYING.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO
LOOK AT CHINESE LAW, FOR
EXAMPLE, THE NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE LAW OF SET OF
SEPTEMBER, THEY READ THROUGH IT,
IT SAYS, IT REQUIRES
ORGANIZATIONS AND CITIZENS TO
QUOTE SUPPORT, ASSIST COOPERATE
WITH THE STATE INTELLIGENCE
WORK?
PEOPLE READ THAT AND THEY SAY,
WELL IF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
CAME AND ASKED FOR DATA FROM YOU
BY LAW YOU WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE
IT, WHAT DO YOU SAY?
>> OKAY, I THINK THERE ARE
SEVERAL ISSUES AROUND THIS.
FIRST OF ALL, THE PREMIER OF
CHINA MADE IT VERY CLEAR THIS
LAW DOES NOT APPLY TO CHINESE
EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS.
SO THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
FIRST ISSUE.
CONNELL: WHO DOES IT APPLY TO?
IT APPLIES TO OTHER COMPANIES?
>> IT APPLIES TO COMPANIES THAT
HOLD AND CURE CURATE AND MANAGE
DATA IN CHINA.
THAT LAW DOES NOT APPLY BEYOND
CHINESE BORDERS.
FOR EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS LIKE
HUAWEI DOES NOT COUNT AT ALL
THAT.
IS MADE VERY CLEAR BY THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
SECONDLY MY COLLEAGUE ANDY
PURDY, EXPLAINED MANY TIMES THAT
IN AMERICAN MEDIA, HUAWEI
DOESN'T TOUCH THE DATA.
IT IS MANAGED BY TELECOM
PARTNERS.
NO WAY WE CAN MA MANIPULATE OR
TOUCH DATA.
WHEN HUAWEI HAS TO FIX AND
MAINTAIN A NETWORK, THERE ARE
VERY STRICT RULES HOW WE DO
THAT.
EVERYTHING WE DO IS LOGGED.
CONNELL: CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT TO
ME A LITTLE BIT?
I WANT TO UNDERSTAND BEST OF MY
ABILITY THE TECHNOLOGY.
SAY IN THE FUTURE, A LOT IS
ABOUT ROLLOUT OF 5G.
5G IS IMPLEMENTED IN THE COUNTRY
AND HUAWEI WILL UPDATE THAT
TECHNOLOGY, IS ROLLING OUT AN
UPDATE.
AS PART OF THAT UPDATE WOULDN'T
THERE BE ACCESS TO THE DATA, IF
THAT DATA WAS ASKED FOR YOU
WOULD HAVE IN HOUSE?
>> NO, ESSENTIALLY WE ARE
PRODUCING PHYSICAL HARDWARE
PRODUCTS WE SUPPLY TO CUSTOMERS.
WE WOULD WORK WITH THE CUSTOMER
TO BUILDOUT THE NETWORK.
SO THIS ISN'T EVEN A
HYPOTHETICAL.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
WE ARE IN MANY COUNTRIES.
WE OPERATE IN OVER 170 COUNTRIES
AROUND THE WORLD.
MANY OF THOSE COUNTRIES ARE
DEPLOYING THEIR 5G NETWORKS AND
WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THOSE
PARTNERS TO BUILDOUT THE
HARDWARE BUT AT ALL TIMES THE
TELECOM PARTNERS, CUSTOMERS ARE
COMPLETELY IN CHARGE OF ALL OF
THE DATA.
NOBODY IS TRUSTED TO TOUCH ANY
DATA AT ALL.
CONNELL: NO NEED, I WANT TO BE
CLEAR, I WANT TO MOVE ON TO
OTHER THINGS, NO NEED FOR YOU,
BUT COULD YOU?
>> NO.
WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE
PERMISSION OF THE TOLL COME
COMPANY.
CONNELL: COULD YOU DO IT WITHOUT