Perry Helped Get Notorious Chinese Company in Texas

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Perry Helped Get Notorious Chinese Company in Texas

Texas Gov. Rick Perry threw his hat in the ring of potential Republican presidential candidates this weekend with an announcement in South Carolina that touted both his credentials as a social conservative and his economic record as chief executive of one of the country’s largest states.

The latter claim, however, is already coming under scrutiny. Not only is Texas’ economic picture not quite as bright as Perry would have voters believe, but he also has a bit of a China problem.

According to The Washington Post, Perry was instrumental in convincing officials from Chinese telecommunications company Huawei to place its U.S. headquarters in Plano, Texas.

In Washington, the company is viewed as a major national security risk. As a matter of fact, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. has rejected merger proposals by Huawei three times because of the perceived risk of giving the company such access to the U.S. market.

Huawei’s danger to the U.S. is one of the few things that Republicans and Democrats in Washington can agree on.

Last year, a bipartisan group of senators successfully persuaded the White House to provide more scrutiny to a deal that would allow the company to sell Sprint some key software.

The company has been hindered by rumors that it has close ties to the Chinese military, which could pose national security risks if it were allowed to acquire an American telecommunications company.

 

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Gov. Perry Joins Texas Delegation at Chinese Business Seminar

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 • SHANGHAI, China • Press Release

Gov. Rick Perry joined other members of the Texas delegation Wednesday at a seminar teaching the intricacies of doing business in China.

"As the Texas economy continues to thrive, our state is creating new jobs and attracting new businesses, both domestic and international, with our favorable economic and regulatory climate," Gov. Perry said. "China will continue to grow in importance in the years to come, so we must prepare our cities, business leaders, universities and economic development organizations to relate to this essential trading partner."

The seminar covered a variety of topics, including investment strategy, Chinese investment policy, and the legal aspects of doing business in China. Participants included Texas Comptroller Susan Combs and officials from several U.S.-based investment, sales and technology firms that have found success in China.

Earlier in the day, Gov. Perry met with officials from Dallas and Houston to discuss development of a cooperative plan to attract more international businesses to Texas.

Wednesday evening, Gov. Perry joined Comptroller Combs at a reception with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), known as "the Voice of American Business in China." Founded in 1915, AmCham is the largest and fastest-growing American Chamber in the Asia Pacific region, promoting U.S.-China commercial ties and supporting American companies doing business in China.

Gov. Perry later met over dinner with Zhengfei Ren, founder and CEO of Huawei Technologies, a global leader in commercial telecom networks. Huawei established its North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, in 2001, and now employs more than 1,000 people nationwide, including more than 750 Texans.