Huawei founder doubts Biden will lift sanctions

The founder of Chinese tech giant Huawei said Tuesday that he does not expect the Biden administration to lift sanctions imposed on the company under former President Trump.

The Associated Press reported that Ren Zhengfei told reporters at a news conference that Huawei will not likely be removed from the Commerce Department’s sanctions list, a designation which ended the company’s ability to purchase processor chips and other smartphone parts manufactured in the U.S.

“I won’t say it’s impossible, but it’s extremely unlikely. We basically aren’t considering it a possibility,” Ren said, according to the AP.

White House officials did not immediately return a request for comment.

The Trump administration sanctioned Huawei in 2019 over concerns about a Chinese security law that forces companies and private citizens to turn over sensitive data to the government if asked. U.S. lawmakers have accused the company of embedding spyware in its equipment that allows Beijing to gain access to sensitive data, a charge Huawei denies.

Ren told reporters on Tuesday that the company can sustain the financial hit from being denied access to the U.S. smartphone parts market.

“We can still survive even without relying on phone sales,” he said, according to the AP.

A number of Senate Republicans are seeking to delay the confirmation of President Biden’s Commerce secretary nominee, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D), over her views regarding Huawei, arguing she has not adequately clarified her stance toward the tech giant.