Huawei Technologies founder dangles 5G secrets to create a US foe

Huawei Technologies founder Ren Zhengfei is ready to license his fifth-generation networking technology only to one other company — and he wants that potential arch-rival to be American.

The army officer-turned-billionaire reiterated an offer Thursday to license out Huawei’s full portfolio of 5G wireless technology — which would include chip designs, hardware and source code — to a single, exclusive licensee. That should be a US company because Europe is home to close competitors like Nokia and Ericsson and doesn’t need help to compete, he added.

Huawei, accused by Donald Trump’s administration of aiding Beijing in spying while spearheading China’s tech-superpower ambitions, is trying to claw back business and shore up trust in its products.