(Photo: CGTN)
Huawei Founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei held a dialogue session with two of the world's most prominent thinkers, George Gilder and Nicholas Negroponte, on some of the hot-button issues in technology at the company’s headquarters in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
The 100-minute event, moderated by CGTN's Tian Wei, included a Q&A session with the media and audience members.
George Gilder is a tech guru and futurist. He has reinterpreted capitalism through the same information theory that enabled the computer revolution and the rise of the internet.
Nicholas Negroponte is the co-founder of the MIT Media Lab, and a pioneer in the field of computer-aided design.
Here are the highlights of the discussion:
On intellectual property rights (IPR)
"The claim of Huawei's stealing of IPR from the west is not possible," Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said, "Huawei has been committed to business ethics and compliance with laws and regulations even when we were a small company at the very first beginning.
"Huawei didn't, and will never steal, intellectual property. We do have a lot of IPRs and will not use these IPRs as a weapon", Ren added.
On scientific research cooperation
"So many universities want to work with us," Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said, "we do not seek any achievements from the partnership with professors and scientists." He promised that "we will not give up what we have committed to."
Nicholas Negroponte also praised Huawei's efforts on scientific research, saying its efforts should be acknowledged.
On Network security:
"We should separate network security from information security," Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said, adding that security or insecurity is relative.
Huawei has connectivity to more than 3 billion people. Over the last 30 years, Huawei has proved that that "our networks are secure and have not broken," Ren added.
On China-US ties
"The US is an advanced country, we should not hate a country for a short piece over its long history," Ren said.
"The world does not play by jungle rules. There are legal, religious, and moral constraints in society. Huawei is willing to cooperate with the world."
Ren also stressed that decoupling will mean that "both sides will suffer, no one will win".
Nicholas Negroponte commented that the trade war has got to end. "I believe it will end sooner than later," he said.
On future trends:
"I believe artificial intelligence (AI) industry is a driving force for human society." We need to be inclusive and don't regard AI as "negative" future technology.
Human civilization can be inherited through AI, which will create enormous opportunities.
On cooperation
The world benefits from cooperation, Negroponte said. "I come from a world where what we value isn't trade; we value knowledge," he added.
"I believe that we have to march towards cooperation," Ren said, adding that the theme of the world is a collaboration, and only through collaboration can the world meet the demands of humanity.On Huawei's future plan
Ren said Huawei will be stronger, adding while some companies may be cautious about using US components, Huawei is not afraid of that.