Ms. Meng Wanzhou is preparing to become Huawei's chairwoman.

Ms. Meng Wanzhou appeared at Huawei's financial report in Shenzhen last March. Photo: SCMP

According to SCMP, Ms. Meng will hold the new role of Huawei for 6 months, lasting until September 30. After this time, the position will be transferred to one of two other leaders, Ken Hu Houkun and Eric Xu Zhijun. The appointment was said to have been approved at Huawei's board meeting on March 28. Huawei declined to comment.

Information about Ms. Meng’s appointment as rotating chairwoman of Huawei dates back to April 2022. But at that time, the source did not specify when her term would begin. The current rotating chairwoman is Mr. Zhijun.

Meng Wanzhou, the eldest daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Vancouver at the request of the United States in late 2018 and held under house arrest until September 2021. She was released after reaching a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.

On March 28, 2022, the "Huawei princess" made her first public appearance at the company's 2021 financial results announcement. She said that after nearly three years of house arrest, the world seemed to have changed a lot. "In the past 6 months, I have tried to learn everything to catch up with life," she shared at the time.

According to observers, Ms. Meng’s rotating tenure as chair comes at a crucial time, as Huawei faces increasing pressure from the United States. The Chinese technology company has been hit with a series of export controls since 2019, cutting off the supply of semiconductor chips from American companies and preventing Huawei from accessing equipment designed using American technology. Most recently, a report suggested that the United States could ban Huawei entirely.

In the face of the bans, Huawei has sought to change. Founder Ren Zhengfei has said the company no longer has grand ambitions, but instead aims to survive. When Meng takes over, it is expected that she will continue this goal before thinking about the future.

Mr. Ren has three children from two marriages. The other two, Son Ren Ping, who has no interest in business, and Annabel Yao, who pursues the entertainment industry, are believed to eventually become Huawei's top executive, despite Mr. Ren's insistence that she has "no technical background," according to the NY Times.

According to VnExpress