Huawei smartphones are displayed at a store in Milan, Italy on Wednesday. Huawei employees in Europe expressed confidence to the Global Times reporter that the firm will overcome this challenging period. (Photo: GT)

Wearing a suit and tie, rushing into offices with luggage and being always prepared for the next business trip are common sights at Huawei Technologies, the largest telecoms equipment maker with 180,000 employees in 170 countries and regions. 

On a Friday afternoon, several employees at Huawei Italy returned from the recent Mobile World Conference (MWC) in Barcelona to their office in Milan, finished their McDonald's burgers and fries at the office while meeting about the next projects. 

Like his colleagues, Thomas Miao, CEO of Huawei Italy, had just returned from the MWC. After spending years in African countries such as Madagascar and South Africa, he now works in the company's offices in Italy, traveling frequently from Milan and Rome. 

As it prioritizes its local partners, seeking to get closer to their customers and responding to their requests as quickly as possible, the Chinese tech giant has been expanding in overseas markets, and it earns half of its revenues abroad. 

Lately, almost every employee in its foreign affiliates has been keeping a close eye on US allegations against the company. While standing at the forefront of globalization, some of its employees had to constantly respond to questions from their foreign partners on security issues and backdoor allegations. 

US authorities have launched a full-scale campaign against the Chinese company, charging it with stealing technology, violating trade sanctions and blocking it from doing business in the US.  

"The US cannot crush us," Ren Zhengfei, Huawei founder, said in a recent interview.

However, the US-led geopolitical offensive has exerted certain pressure on some of its offices overseas, especially after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned European allies to drop Huawei's equipment and products. 

Heated debate 

Europe has become a battleground in the debate over Huawei, focusing on whether to follow the US in banning the company from 5G networks. 

To clear the air, Italian authorities denied earlier reports concerning blocking Chinese firms from participating in 5G development in local markets, media reported in February.  

"We've seen some government officials push back against US pressure inside the Italian government. It has become a geopolitical game," a Milan-based industry observer, who preferred not to be identified, told the Global Times. 

However, representatives from the company's Italian office said they have a long-term commitment to invest in Italy, and current challenges will not alter their direction. 

"We've been here for 15 years, having deep cooperation with local carriers such as Vodafone and Telecom Italia. We've grown to be a business innovation partner, in addition to a technical partner," Miao told the Global Times, noting that the firm plays a significant role in helping the digitalization of Italian society. 

In its Milan office, over 80 percent of its staff are local hires.

Enrica Banti De Cario, who has been working at Huawei Italy for six years, said she has to answer questions from her friends from time to time concerning Huawei, as the company has made headlines over the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the founder's daughter, in Canada who faces extradition to the US. 

"I tell them that it's a big geopolitical issue… we're doing our best to explain our security philosophy and to be as transparent as possible," she said.  

As part of its efforts to win over more trust from European business partners and customers, Huawei has opened security centers in several places, including Bonn in Germany and Brussels in Belgium, to third-party monitoring agency and the public.

It is an opportunity for the government and customers to check their network with our equipment and to make sure that everything is safe, Banti noted. 

"As a vendor of technological equipment, we don't manage any data."

Absolute confidence

From Barcelona to Milan to Düsseldorf, the Global Times talked to dozens of local residents, and almost all of them are familiar with Huawei and some are Huawei smartphone users. In the company's office in Düsseldorf, the front desk sends out cyber security tips for business visitors, including network operation requirements and customer regulations, before they enter.

Small steps reflect Huawei's commitment to operational compliance, according to local employees. 

Walter Haas, chief technology officer of Huawei Germany, said that Huawei has always followed local rules and regulations in Europe on internal data protection. 

Accusing Huawei of installing backdoors on its equipment to gain access to user data "is simply stupid," he said, adding that people won't raise such concerns if they really understand how networks are constructed and run from a technical perspective.

European policymakers and industry representatives also called for facts instead of fears on Huawei at the MWC.

The region is split on the issue. Under pressure from the US government, some European countries such as the Czech Republic and Poland have voiced concerns over Huawei's equipment. However, countries like the UK said the security risk is manageable.  

Huawei's employees in Europe said they are confident that the firm will overcome this challenging period as it has always maintained a good security record with local carriers and business partners. 

And for some foreign employees, working at Huawei has already become an inseparable part of their lives. 

"When we hear the allegations against the company, we must unite and defend it just as we would defend our own family," Lesley White, deputy president of human resources of Huawei's western European region, told the Global Times. 

After spending 14 years in the company, the British woman said she had been deeply involved in the company's global expansion, and recognized its so-called wolf culture, which has also led to its success. 

"Team members are very hardworking, very dedicated and very committed. So I want to be part of that," she said, when asked about the future of Huawei, following the recent discussions on whether Huawei would continue to grow amid security concerns.

"I am 100 percent confident [in Huawei]."