Huawei Technologies is one of the world's largest makers of high-speed wireless telecom equipment. The Chinese company is also at the center of an American political storm.
Earlier this month, the House Intelligence Committee issued a report warning U.S. companies to avoid doing business with Huawei and another top Chinese tech firm, ZTE.
Today a White House report said that there's no evidence that Huawei has actually spied on any of its customers, but warned that its gear is vulnerable to hackers.
U.S. officials are concerned that Huawei is a Trojan horse for the Chinese government. They think that the Chinese government can order Huawei to let it spy on its U.S. customers or even to shut down the telecom system if it decides to conduct "cyber war."
Huawei officials claim that its just another international company trying to earn more U.S. business. But the company is secretive, with ties to the Chinese military and a mysterious founder.
Huawei also has a long, nasty history with Cisco, an American competitor. In 2003, the company was found to have copied Cisco's technology. Motorola also had similar complaints with Huawei. Cisco CEO John Chambers said last April that Huawei is the company he fears most.
"60 Minutes" was given a rare inside peek at Huawei offices in China and the U.S.
Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei is as elusive as his company
At the center of the controversy is Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei. He rarely speaks publicly.
He was a major in the Chinese army specializing in telecom research. When he retired, he founded Huawei with a few thousand dollars savings and no help from Chinese government, the official story goes. But U.S. officials don't believe that. They say Huawei's 25-year rise to the top was heavily funded by the government.
Huawei's Chinese headquarters are like the "Google" of China
Huawei's headquarters is a beautiful, modern campus in Shenzhen.
Huawei, a private company, says it is "employee-owned."
One of the things that has U.S. officials so nervous is how secretive the company is about its management structure. Even when a Huawei executive was questioned by Congress as part of this ongoing probe, he wouldn't reveal much about that.
Look but don't talk
"60 Minutes" was given a tour of the Chinese headquarters but was not allowed to talk to anyone there.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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