No, Huawei isn’t giving up on the US market
In recent quotes from Huawei execs and statements made by the company in response to financial earnings, we’ve always gotten the sense that Huawei’s desire to do better in the United States (and North America as a whole) is always burning. That’s why I found it weird when it was reported that executive vice president Eric Xu went on the record to say that it would be pulling its focus from the United States market.
It’s no secret Huawei isn’t having the easiest time getting a foothold here, with its most significant offerings for the market often being devices for carriers to rebrand and make their own. Still, it knows if it wants to become a premium OEM and step into the same echelon as big name players like HTC and Motorola, it will have to find a way to get things rolling here.
My suspicion that Eric Xu’s comments didn’t sound right seemed to be warranted, though, as the company has come out to clarify that the executive’s comments have been misinterpreted. Such is often the case when bad translation makes its way through multiple different channels before ending up on news desks everywhere.
According to Beijing News, Xu was simply stating that continued growth and development in markets outside of the United States are as big a focus for the company as any, but that didn’t necessarily mean Huawei was abandoning the US. Of course, you have to consider Huawei could just be doing a little damage control after the fact, but for the time being the company’s stance on the matter is still clear — it wants to improve in the United States, whether Eric Xu’s comments inadvertently contradicts that or not.