China's telecom giant Huawei has threatened to pull out of partnerships in some countries if it hinders its work, defying Washington to provide evidence of its involvement in espionage.
The company's president, Liang Hua, called on Western governments to visit the company's factories to dispel suspicions about a suspected spy technology, AFP reported.
"We do not pose a threat to the future of the digital society," he said, noting that US authorities have yet to reveal the slightest evidence of the company's use of the technology for espionage.
"If Huawei's arrival in some markets is hampered, customers are hesitant," he said during a press conference on the sidelines of the Davos Economic Forum. "We will turn our technical partnerships into countries where he is welcome and where we can cooperate."
He did not say which partnerships he was talking about. Oxford University recently suspended funding from the Chinese telecom giant.
Liang expressed "confidence" in the Canadian judiciary after the company's financial director, Ming Wenchu, the daughter of Huawei's founder and former Chinese army engineer Ren Qingfai, was arrested at the request of Washington.
The United States confirmed on Tuesday that it would seek the extradition of Ming, with the deadline approaching on Jan. 30.
Liang ruled out any connection between Huawei and the arrest of two Canadian nationals in China later, in a move seen as a response from Beijing to Ottawa, adding "we fully respect" the laws.
The Chinese giant is suspected to be a source of national security problems in many countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and they have banned Huawei from setting up the fifth generation high-speed Internet network.
