The CEO of Huawei Europe spoke to Euronews' business editor, Angela Barnes, in Davos about the pending Trump-era tech challenges and whether the group is prepared to tackle them.
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00:00With Donald Trump returning to the U.S. and potentially reigniting geopolitical tensions
00:13in the tech sector, how does Huawei Europe plan to navigate these challenges while contributing
00:20to Europe's competitiveness in tech and innovation?
00:24Well, obviously it's already been a rather turbulent period, so I would say we are well
00:30prepared and I think what we would like to do is to kind of be an alternative to Europe
00:36in many ways, and of course obviously continuing what we have been doing for the last two decades,
00:41contributing to Europe's digitalization, and I think also help Europe to basically prepare
00:46for AI, become AI ready, and AI is not just an application layer, it's much more.
00:53We need to have the infrastructure from end to end in order to be able to realize the
00:57full potential of AI, and I believe, I mean, a company like us with such a diversified
01:02technology portfolio, we have a lot to contribute with in terms of both knowledge about what
01:08it means to be able to compete in AI and how to realize the functionalities and the potential
01:13of AI, and also how to, you know, be a good partner in the different layers of technology
01:19basically.
01:20So that's basically what we would like to continue to do.
01:22We've always seen Europe as a strategic market because of its innovative attitude and position,
01:30and we believe, you know, with open markets, well-regulated markets, it's possible for
01:37us to continue to contribute in a positive way, and that's basically what we will focus
01:41on.
01:42That's brilliant, and Kenneth as well, Europe is obviously seeking to enhance its digital
01:47sovereignty and leading technologies.
01:51What role can Huawei play in supporting the vision, and how do you address concerns around
01:58trust and security in such partnerships?
02:02I think our most important contribution is our competitiveness.
02:07By being present in Europe, we will help European companies to maintain competitiveness because
02:12they will need to compete against us, and we could be a good partner in different areas,
02:17helping them to be competitive as well.
02:19So I think that is a real important contribution, because if you're not competitive in a technology
02:25industry, you're not going to be sustainable.
02:28So that is extremely important, and when it comes to trust and security, obviously dialogue
02:33communication is key, and I think, unfortunately, it's been a very narrow discussion around
02:39security, cyber security, and trust, and I believe by more understanding, better knowledge
02:45about what technology is really about, and how to balance security, competitiveness,
02:52and also trust in a more healthy and well-thought-through way, it's possible to actually navigate through
02:59this in a more balanced way than we've seen so far.
03:02And from what I am listening around in the different panels this week, I somehow get
03:09the feeling that people are realizing the importance of having a better and deeper understanding
03:13of things to strike more balanced decisions, and I hope Europe will do that as well.