OTTAWA: Chinese tech giant Huawei, facing US criminal charges and economic sanctions, is planning to relocate its telecommunications research from the United States to Canada, founder Ren Zhengfei said in an interview published on Tuesday.

Speaking with the Globe and Mail newspaper at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, Ren said the company is also considering building new factories in Europe to make fifth-generation or 5G equipment.

The pivot comes as Washington steps up pressure on allies to ban Huawei components from 5G networks, warning that it may be used by Beijing for spying or hacking.

Canada is reviewing the technology but has not announced a decision.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2019