Huawei Founder Ren Zhengfei: ‘I Will Ignore Trump’

Billionaire Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei brushed off the idea the company could be included in trade negotiations between the United States and China.

Ren described President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Huawei could be included in a trade deal as a “big joke.”

“I will ignore Trump,” Ren said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday. “Then who will he negotiate with?”

The Trump administration has restricted U.S. technology sales to Huawei, although some of the restrictions have been put on a 90-day hold to give U.S. companies time to make adjustments. Analysts say the U.S. restriction, if fully applied, would cripple the Chinese company.

The U.S. has accused Huawei’s chief financial officer of defrauding banks to violate sanctions against Iran and stealing technology. The Justice Department and U.S. companies have accused Huawei of engaging in industrial espionage. Lawmakers and a surprisingly large number of U.S. government agencies have accused Huawei of being an arm and agent of the Chinese government, not only part of its military-espionage complex but also a key component of the Made in China 2025 plan to dominate high-tech manufacturing.

“If he calls me, I may not answer, but he doesn’t have my number. I see his tweets and think it’s laughable because they’re self-contradictory,” Ren said. “How did he become a master of the art of the deal?”