After not talking to the media for 25 years, founder and CEO of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei Ren Zhengfei told reporters Thursday it is not working with the Chinese government to spy on the United States.
Huawei has been under fire since a 2012 report from the U.S. House Intelligence Committee accused it along with ZTE of being a national security risk for providing information about the United States to the Chinese government. The report said the companies did not comply with an investigation on its practices.
Zhengfei has denied those claims, according to Reuters: "Huawei has no connection to the cybersecurity issues the U.S. has encountered in the past, current and future."
"Huawei equipment is almost non-existent in networks currently running in the U.S. We have never sold any key equipment to major U.S. carriers, nor have we sold any equipment to any U.S. government agency," he added.
The news comes as Huawei left the U.S. market in April, citing "geopolitical reasons."
“Huawei and ZTE seek to expand in the United States, but as a result of our investigation, we do not have the confidence that these two companies with their ties to the Chinese government can be trusted with infrastructure of such critical importance,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said.