SPECIAL | Huawei Founding CEO Ren Zhengfei's Message In A Front Page Interview in the People's Daily
Ren Zhengfei: Fundamentally, algorithms are not in the hands of IT experts but in the hands of power experts, infrastructure experts, coal experts, medical experts, and various industry experts.
Highlights: Recently, reporters from People’s Daily (PD) had a face-to-face talks with Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei (R) on various hot topics of public interest at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province. From this interaction, we genuinely felt the confidence of an entrepreneur who “unswervingly manages own affairs well.” Here is the full text in English and Chinese.
‘Moving forward step by step’ (“不去想困难，干就完了，一步一步往前走”)
PD: Facing external blockades and suppression, with many difficulties, what goes through your mind?
问：面对外部封锁打压，遇到很多困难，心里怎么想？
Ren: I haven’t thought about them; thinking is useless. Don’t dwell on difficulties, just take action and move forward step by step.
答：没有想过，想也没有用。不去想困难，干就完了，一步一步往前走。
PD: Huawei’s Ascend chip has been “warned” about usage risks. What impact does this have on Huawei?
问：昇腾芯片被“警告”使用风险，对华为有什么影响吗？
Ren: There are many companies in China making chips, and many are doing well; Huawei is just one of them. The US has exaggerated Huawei’s achievements — the company isn’t that powerful yet. We need to work hard to live up to their evaluation. Our single chips still lag behind the US by a generation. We use mathematics to compensate for physics, non-Moore’s Law approaches to complement Moore’s Law, and group computing to make up for single-chip limitations, which can also achieve practical results.
答：中国做芯片的公司很多，许多都做得不错，华为是其中一家。美国是夸大了华为的成绩，华为还没有这么厉害。要努力做才能达到他们的评价。我们单芯片还是落后美国一代，我们用数学补物理、非摩尔补摩尔，用群计算补单芯片，在结果上也能达到实用状况。
PD: If there are difficulties, what are the main ones?
问：如果说有困难，主要困难是什么？
Ren: When have there ever not been difficulties? Wasn’t it difficult during the era of slash-and-burn farming? Wasn’t it difficult in the Stone Age? When humans used stone tools, could they have imagined high-speed trains? China has opportunities in low- and mid-range chips, with dozens or even hundreds of chip companies working hard.
答：困难就困难嘛，什么时候没有困难？刀耕火种的时候不困难吗？石器时代不困难吗？人类用石器的时候，哪能想到有高铁。中国在中低端芯片上是可以有机会的，中国数十、上百家芯片公司都很努力。
The opportunities are even greater for compound semiconductors. For silicon-based chips, we use mathematics to compensate for physics, non-Moore’s Law approaches to complement Moore’s Law, and leverage cluster computing principles to meet our current needs.
特别是化合物半导体机会更大。硅基芯片，我们用数学补物理、非摩尔补摩尔，利用集群计算的原理，可以达到满足我们现在的需求。
Software cannot be choked — it’s built on mathematical graphic symbols, code, and advanced operators and algorithms, with no barriers. The difficulties lie in our education and building a talent pipeline. In the future, China will have hundreds or thousands of operating systems, supporting progress in Chinese industry, agriculture, healthcare, and more.
软件是卡不住脖子的，那是数学的图形符号、代码，一些尖端的算子、算法垒起来的，没有阻拦索。困难在我们的教育培养、人才梯队的建设。中国将来会有数百、数千种操作系统，支持中国工业、农业、医疗等的进步。
PD: There are many voices praising Huawei now, and the recognition of Huawei is very high.
问：现在对华为赞扬的声音很多，对华为的认同度很高。
Ren: When people say we’re good, it puts a lot of pressure on us. A bit of criticism keeps us more clear-headed. We make products, and it’s normal for people to criticize them when they use them. We allow criticism. As long as it’s truthful, even if it’s critical, we support it. Don’t pay too much attention to either praise or criticism; focus on whether we can do our job well. If we do our job well, there’s no problem.
答：说我们好，我们压力也很大。骂我们一点，我们会更清醒一点。我们做的是商品，人们使用就会有批评，这是正常的。我们允许人家骂。只要讲真话，即使是批评，我们也支持。赞声与骂声，都不要在意，而要在乎自己能不能做好。把自己做好，就没有问题。
PD: From your attitude toward difficulties and criticism, we sense you have a strong inner resolve, remaining unconcerned with praise or criticism and instead focusing on doing your own work well. This must be a key reason why Huawei has come this far.
问：从您面对困难、批评的心态，感受到您有一颗强大的内心，就是不在乎是表扬还是批评，而是坚定做好自己的事。这应该是华为能走到今天的一个重要原因。
Ren: There’s still too much praise directed at us. People should pay more attention to understanding those engaged in theoretical research. Their work is profound and often underappreciated by the public, with contributions that may only be recognized after decades or even centuries. Baselessly criticizing them is detrimental to the country’s long-term development. We must understand and support those doing theoretical work. We need to appreciate their vision; their great, quiet dedication is the hope of our nation. We shouldn’t elevate one group while diminishing another; those engaged in theoretical research are the hope for our country’s future.
答：说我们好的还是太多了，大家更多要去理解搞理论研究的人，他们曲高和寡，老百姓不了解，而且他们要几十年、上百年才看得见贡献。无端指责他们，是不利于国家长远发展的。我们要理解支持搞理论工作的。我们要理解他们的胸怀，他们伟大的默默无闻，才是我们国家的希望。不要捧一个压一个，搞理论研究的是国家未来的希望。
‘We must understand theoretical scientists with strategic patience’(“理论科学家是孤独的，我们要有战略耐心，要理解他们”)
PD: How to view basic theoretical research?
问：怎么看基础理论研究？
Ren: When our country has a certain economic strength, we must attach importance to theoretical research, especially basic theoretical research. Basic research takes more than five to 10 years; it generally requires 10 years, 20 years, or even longer. If we do not engage in basic research, it is akin to having no roots. Even if the leaves are lush and thriving, they will fall when the wind blows. Purchasing foreign products is expensive because the price includes their investment in basic research. Therefore, whether China engages in basic research or not, it will have to pay costs. The question is whether we can pay our own researchers engaged in basic research.
答：当我国拥有一定经济实力的时候，要重视理论特别是基础理论的研究。基础研究不止5—10年，一般要10年、20年或更长的时间。如果不搞基础研究，就没根。即使叶茂，欣欣向荣，风一吹就会倒的。买国外的产品很贵，因为价格里面就包含他们在基础研究上的投入。所以，中国搞不搞基础研究，也要付钱的，能不能付给自己搞基础研究的人。
PD: Regarding basic research, people may not understand it and ask, “What is the purpose of this research? What benefits can it generate?”
问：对基础研究，人们可能一时难以理解，会问研究这个有什么用，能产生什么效益。
Ren: Scientific breakthroughs are understood by few people in the world. Those who do not understand should not evaluate them. Einstein's discovery that light rays can bend was confirmed a hundred years later. In Southwest China's Guizhou Province, there was an agronomist named Luo Dengyi. In the 1940s, when analyzing the nutritional components of fruits and vegetables, he discovered a wild fruit called thorn pear with extremely high vitamin content. At that time, China was still in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and the social education level was very low, so few people understood his research. Later, he wrote a paper stating that thorn pear was the "king of vitamin C." Nearly a hundred years later, Guizhou developed it into a natural vitamin-rich thorn pear beverage, a luxury in the vitamin beverage market, priced at nearly 100 yuan per bottle and highly sought after. The thorn pear industry has become a channel for farmers to lift out of poverty and become prosperous. Only then did people truly recognize Luo, who had been working at a broken desk amid the flames of war.
答：科学的突破，世界上理解的人本来就少，不理解的人就不要去评价。爱因斯坦发现光线会弯曲，是一百年后再证实的。贵州有个农学家罗登义，上世纪四十年代，他分析研究水果蔬菜营养成分的时候，发现一种维生素含量很高的野果子刺梨。中国那时还在抗战时期，社会教育水平还很低，没几个人懂。后来写了一篇论文，说刺梨是维C之王。经历了近百年，贵州把它做成了一种天然富含维生素的刺梨饮料，维生素饮料中的奢侈品，近百元一瓶，受到追捧，刺梨产业成为农民脱贫致富的渠道。人们才真实认识了在抗日烽火时，在一张破桌旁的罗登义。
PD: Many research achievements seem insignificant at first, but they often prove extremely useful in the end.
问：很多研究成果看似一时无关痛痒，最后往往都有大用。
Ren: Theoretical scientists are lonely. We need to have strategic patience and understand them. Tu Youyou's work on artemisinin is a case in point. So is Huang Danian, who upheld the spirit of "exploration, innovation, and sincere dedication to the country." The symbols, formulas, and thoughts in their minds can only be communicated with by a few people in the world. We must respect theoretical scientists because we may not understand their field of expertise. Society should be tolerant, and the state should support them.
答：理论科学家是孤独的，我们要有战略耐心，要理解他们。屠呦呦做青蒿素是一样的。还有“探索创新、至诚报国”的黄大年也是一样的。他们头脑中的符号、公式、思维，世界上能与他们沟通的只有几个人。对理论科学家要尊重，因为我们不懂他的文化，社会要宽容，国家要支持。
PD: Basic research has a long cycle, but enterprises need to focus on efficiency.
问：基础研究周期会很漫长，但企业是需要讲效益的。
Ren: We invest 180 billion yuan ($25.06 billion) in research and development each year, with approximately 60 billion yuan allocated to basic theoretical research, which is not subject to performance evaluation. About 120 billion yuan is invested in product research and development, which is subject to evaluation. Without theoretical support, there can be no breakthroughs, and we will not be able to catch up with the US.
答：我们一年1800亿投入研发，大概有600亿是做基础理论研究，不考核。1200亿左右投入产品研发，投入是要考核的。没有理论就没有突破，我们就赶不上美国。
PD: This reflects a long-term perspective. It is said that Huawei has a “Huang Danian Tea Thinking House.”
问：这是一种长期主义，听说华为就有个“黄大年茶思屋”。
Ren: Huang was a great scientist. Our country became aware of him during the Gulf War. The US military had a pod under its helicopter that could detect weapons buried by Saddam in the desert and destroy them accurately at the start of the war. Further investigation revealed that this pod was developed by a Chinese person — Huang's mining survey pod developed during his time at a British university, which was used as a weapon by NATO. He resigned and returned to China to become a teacher at Jilin University. He used his own money to request a 40-square-meter room from the university, opened a "Tea Thinking House," and provided free coffee, advocating "absorbing cosmic energy over a cup of coffee." With the authorization of his family, we established a non-profit online platform called the "Huang Danian Tea Thinking House," which provides free access to global scientific and technological information. At the same time, it opens inclusive cooperation mechanism for basic research, collaborating with major universities and colleges. These are all strategic investments that are not subject to performance evaluation. In terms of basic theory, we have established an internal mechanism. We don't know when results will be achieved, and we don't set requirements for scientists.
答：黄大年是个伟大的科学家，我国是在海湾战争中发现这个人的。美军在直升机下有一个吊舱，探测萨达姆埋在沙漠里的武器，一开战就准确把它消灭了。再一找，才知道这吊舱是中国人做的，黄大年在英国大学做的一个探矿吊舱，北约用来做武器用。他辞职回国做了吉林大学老师。他用自己的钱，向学校要了一间40平米的房子，开了一个茶思屋负责提供免费咖啡，开展“一杯咖啡吸收宇宙能量”。我们得到他家族的授权，利用他的名字，做了一个黄大年茶思屋非盈利的网络平台，免费让大家查阅世界的科技信息。同时，对基础研究开放喇叭口，和各大院校合作。这些都是战略性投入，不考核的。基础理论这一块，我们内部建立一个机制，什么时候能做出来不知道，对科学家也不做要求。
‘Goal of socialism is to develop society’ (“社会主义的一个目的就是为了发展社会”)
PD: American economists such as Richard Wolff questioned why the US has failed to develop a modern high-speed rail system like China and argued that the real issue is profitability under capitalism, noting that since high-speed rail is “not profitable,” the US doesn’t have it. In contrast, Wolff pointed out that while it may also not be profitable in China, the country still built it – “because the government did it.” None of these are inherently profitable, but they lay the foundation for a developed society, contributing to the modernization of industry and agriculture. They reflect the social value of state-owned enterprises. For competing products, China implements marketization – allowing market competition to realize their commercial value and generate tax revenue for the society. What’s your view on this?
问：美国经济学家理查德·沃尔夫等专家认为，美国为何没有像中国那样发达的高铁系统，主要是因为美国走的是资本主义道路，做什么都要赚钱。中国走的是社会主义的道路，国家主张的是社会效益，高铁、重载铁路、先进的电力网络、发达的高速公路以及通往乡村的水泥路，遍布各处的水利设施、星罗棋布的发电厂……这些并不赚钱，但垫起一个发达的社会基础，为工业、农业现代化作出了贡献，体现的是国有企业的社会价值。而对有竞争的商品实行市场化，通过市场的竞争来调节，使其实现商业价值，依法纳税贡献社会。对此，您怎么看？
Ren: Why is it that only socialism can take on projects that is not profitable? One of the core purposes of socialism is to advance societal development. The socialist market economy system adopted in China is a remarkable feat. When it comes to infrastructure development, we can only follow the path of the socialist market economy – otherwise, large-scale projects like high-speed railways, expressways, and dams... simply could not be built.
答：为什么不赚钱的事，只有社会主义做？社会主义的一个目的就是为了发展社会。我国搞的社会主义市场经济体制是伟大的壮举。从基础设施建设看，我们也只能走社会主义市场经济的道路，不然高铁、高速公路、水坝……这些东西都建不起来。
PD: What’s your insight for the development prospects of artificial intelligence (AI)?
问：您对人工智能的未来前景怎么看？
Ren: AI may be the last technological revolution in human society, though there might also be nuclear fusion in the energy field. The development of AI will span decades and centuries. Don’t worry. China also has many advantages.
答：人工智能也许是人类社会最后一次技术革命，当然可能还有能源的核聚变。人工智能发展要经历数十年、数百年。不要担心，中国也有很多优势。
PD: What’s your view on these advantages?
问：您怎么看这些优势？
Ren: China is home to hundreds of millions of youth, who are the future of the country. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, pointed out that the strength of a country or a nation is always underpinned by cultural prosperity. The critical technical requirement for AI lies in having ample power supply and a well-developed information network. Developing AI requires robust power guarantees. China excels in power generation and grid transmission, boasts the world’s most advanced telecommunications network. The “east data, west computing” project is able to be realized.
答：中国有数亿青少年，他们是国家的未来。总书记讲过，一个国家、一个民族的强盛，总是以文化兴盛为支撑的。人工智能在技术上的要害，是要有充足的电力、发达的信息网络。发展人工智能要有电力保障，中国的发电、电网传输都是非常好的，通信网络是世界最发达的，东数西算的理想是可能实现的。
PD: Any other advantages?
问：其他优势呢？
Ren: There’s actually no need to worry about the chip issue. By leveraging methods such as superposition and clustering, computational results can match the most advanced global standards. In terms of software, thousands upon thousands of open-source software will meet the needs of the entire society in the future.
答：芯片问题其实没必要担心，用叠加和集群等方法，计算结果上与最先进水平是相当的。软件方面，将来是千百种开源软件满足整个社会需要。
PD: How do you view China’s future?
问：怎么看中国的未来？
Ren: Thomas L. Friedman left our company and bought a second-class high-speed rail ticket to experience China. Later, he wrote an article titled, “I Just Saw the Future. It Was Not in America.”
答：弗里德曼离开我们公司，自己买了一张二等座的高铁票，去感受中国。后来写了篇文章《我看到了未来，它不在美国》。
PD: We’ve read that article, where he says “what makes China’s manufacturing juggernaut so powerful today is not that it just makes things cheaper; it makes them cheaper, faster, better, smarter and increasingly infused with AI.”
问：我们看过这篇文章，他认为：“中国制造业像今天这样强大的原因，不仅在于它的高质量，能更便宜地生产东西，也在于它能更快、更好、更智能地生产东西，而且正在越来越多地将人工智能融入产品中。”
Ren: Fundamentally, algorithms are not in the hands of IT experts but in the hands of power experts, infrastructure experts, coal experts, medical experts, and various industry experts. From a practical perspective, Chinese manufacturing is adopting artificial intelligence very quickly, and it will give rise to many Chinese models.
答：从根本上说，算法不掌握在IT人手里面，而是掌握在电力专家、基建专家、煤炭专家、医药专家、各类行业专家……手里面。实践层面看，中国制造业人工智能运用非常快，会诞生很多中国模型。
PD: What kind of support does the development of private enterprises need from the country？
问：民营企业发展，需要国家提供什么支持？
Ren: A legalized and market-oriented environment where the government administers in accordance with laws and regulations. Enterprises should focus on value creation, technological breakthroughs, law-abiding operations, and tax compliance. This harmonious development model will gradually unleash economic vitality.
答：法治化、市场化，政府依法依规行政。企业主要是价值创造、技术突破，遵纪守法，依法纳税。这个和谐的发展模式，就会让经济活力一点点地散发出来。
PD: How do you view openness and development?
问：怎么看待开放与发展？
Ren: The more open the country becomes, the more it will drive our progress. Under the leadership of the Party, with unified administration and clear policies, it is possible to gradually form a unified national market. This will surely break through all blockades and achieve great rejuvenation.
答：国家越来越开放，开放会促使我们更加进步。国家在党的领导下，行政上是统一的，政令是通达的，逐步形成统一的大市场是可能的，一定会突破所有的封锁，实现伟大的复兴。
Reference links:
The more open the country, the more it will drive our progress: Ren Zhengfei speaks to People’s Daily, June 10, 2025.
国家越开放，会促使我们更加进步——对话任正非，《人民日报》，2025年6月10日
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