A politically sensitive personnel decision is pending at the head of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The daughter of the company founder, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, who was once targeted by the US judiciary, is to take over the rotating chairmanship of the group on April 1 for the first time. Informed circles confirmed to the German Press Agency in Beijing that a successor plan for her 78-year-old father Ren Zhengfei should be initiated.
The rise of the 51-year-old to the top management could increase the massive political reservations in the USA against Huawei. According to press reports, US President Joe Biden is currently considering tightening sanctions against the company. Huawei could therefore be completely denied access to semiconductors from important US suppliers such as Qualcomm or Intel. The US raises security concerns, which Huawei dismisses as unfounded.
Wanzhou evaded sanctions?
The daughter of the legendary company founder became a central figure in the conflict with the US when she was arrested in late 2018 at the request of the US judiciary on charges of bank fraud to circumvent sanctions against Iran in Canada. Meng Wanzhou was held under house arrest in Vancouver for three years and fought a legal battle against extradition to the United States.
China increased pressure on Canada by arresting two Canadians suspected of spying in China. Diplomats spoke of “hostage politics”. In September 2021, after a deal with US prosecutors – in return for the release of the two Canadians – Meng Wanzhou was able to return to her homeland, where she was hailed as a heroine. The chapter was only closed last December when US prosecutors asked the New York court to close the case.
