'We were fighting for survival': How Huawei is enduring America's war against it
SHENZHEN, China - "Heroes are forged, not born," proclaims the Huawei poster, depicting a World War II Russian plane, still flying despite being riddled by anti-aircraft and machine gun fire.
The same is true for Huawei Investment & Holding Co., says its founder, Ren Zhengfei. Although Huawei has been bloodied by America's unprecedented and relentless efforts to destroy it, Ren seemed confident, during a recent visit to Huawei's headquarters here, that China's largest smartphone and telecom manufacturer would remain formidable and resilient.
With the U.S. threatening to ban American hardware and software providers from doing business with the company, Huawei has attempted to stockpile chips and scramble the development of its own operating system. It has countered federal indictments in New York and Seattle with civil suits of its own in Dallas and New Orleans. The battle has extended to six continents, where Huawei's 196,000 employees operate in more than 170 countries. Governments that would prefer not to choose sides may ultimately have no choice but to do so.
When The Times first interviewed Ren in March, he and his company seemed
