Huawei Rotating CEO Guo Ping Hosts Tánaiste Simon Coveney at Huawei’s Headquarters in Shenzhen, China

[Shenzhen, China, March 13, 2018] Today, Guo Ping, Deputy Chairman and Rotating CEO, Huawei met with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Simon Coveney TD from Ireland at Huawei’s Headquarters in Shenzhen, China. The Tánaiste had a tour of the company’s headquarters, which included a showcase of the latest cutting-edge technologies. The company also provided an overview of its business globally and its R&D operations in Ireland, which now employing over 170 people in Dublin, Athlone and Cork.

Huawei's Guo Ping (second from the left); Tánaiste Simon Coveney (fourth from the right)

Speaking from Shenzhen, the Tánaiste said: “Huawei is a global leader in ICT with an expanding and increasingly significant presence in Ireland. The St. Patrick’s Day period provides a unique opportunity to promote Ireland on the international stage so I am extremely pleased to have the chance today to visit the company’s headquarters as part of the ‘Promote Ireland’ programme for 2018. Huawei is an integral part of Ireland’s growing technological and scientific ecosystem, and it is highly informative to be able to learn more today about its emerging digital areas of video and artificial intelligence, which are also fundamental to its increasing R&D activity in Ireland. Huawei’s continued commitment and strong endorsement of Ireland as an investment location is extremely positive and on behalf of the Government, I look forward to expanding our partnership into the future.”

Guo Ping said: “I would like to thank the Tánaiste for taking the time to visit our facilities today, which I hope has given him an added insight into our business and operations globally, especially in Ireland. The Irish Government and the IDA have been very supportive over our almost-15 years in Ireland and our recent investments highlight our commitment to the Irish market. We are continuing to tap into Ireland’s growing clusters of cloud, telecoms and technology businesses, nurturing future talent and providing additional new opportunities for highly-skilled professionals.”

In December 2017 Huawei announced a major new research partnership with Trinity College Dublin on Video Intelligence and the expansion of its R&D activities in Dublin and Cork. These developments brought Huawei’s R&D investment in Ireland to €17.7 million in 2017.

Huawei’s cooperation with third-level institutions also includes Dublin City University, University College Dublin and University College Cork in emerging areas such as AI and video. The company’s flagship CSR programme, ‘Seeds for the Future’, has hosted 30 Irish STEM undergraduates in China since 2015, where they receive cultural, business and ICT insights. This programme will continue in Summer 2018 and will see the company host another 10 Irish undergraduates for four week in China.