Leaked internal messages have shed light on a lobbying campaign carried out by Huawei, the Chinese telecom-equipment maker, in an attempt to court Greek officials as well as counter American opposition to its technology.
The messages, which surfaced in November 2020, reveal that Huawei executives engaged in discussions regarding a meeting with Greek government advisers. These advisers were seen as valuable resources, expected to provide Huawei with a document that outlined government contracts and priority projects in Greece.
As part of their strategic approach, Huawei managers contemplated offering the advisers various gifts, including a Huawei Mate XS smartphone, the company's GT 2 smartwatch, and even wine. Confidentiality was emphasized amongst the participants, with one Huawei manager even remarking that the plans were to be kept strictly confidential among the group chat named after Greece's digital ministry.
The exchange was part of more than 120 messages and summaries of internal Huawei communications provided to The Times by a person working for a European government that investigated the company. The materials, which identified the contacts as government officials, offer a rare look at how Huawei tried to cultivate relationships with high-ranking figures in Greece, a small but important country for the company, and pushed the limits of Greek rules that restrict gifts to civil servants and government ministers.
In the communications, Huawei employees discussed providing gadgets to a senior Greek government minister and his son, giving devices to police and immigration officials and organizing transportation for Greek regulators during an industry conference in the United Arab Emirates in 2021. The messages did not say whether the gifts were ultimately delivered or if deals for the priority projects were signed.
Huawei, which sits in the middle of a technological Cold War between the United States and China, has been under a cloud for more than five years over fears that Beijing can use its technology for spying or sabotage. The company has denied the accusations.
The U.S. government has restricted the use of Huawei equipment in the country and cut the company off from access to certain American technology. U.S. officials have also aggressively lobbied allies to ban Huawei’s gear in Europe, the company’s largest market outside China.
Greece is a prime example of the mixed success of the American lobbying campaign. It has not prohibited Huawei’s products outright, and the company has battled to keep its hard-won hold in the country.
Pavlos Marinakis, a Greek government spokesman, said Huawei’s technology had a limited presence in the country’s new telecom networks.
“There has never been, whatsoever, any direct or indirect influence by said company in government policy decisions, agreements and/or contracts,” he said in an email.
Under Greek law, it is illegal for people in the private sector to offer gifts to government officials in exchange for favors. Government ministers, members of Parliament and civil servants also cannot accept gifts that could be considered linked to their official responsibilities, said Stefanos Loukopoulos, director of Vouliwatch, a government watchdog group in Athens.
High-ranking officials can accept certain ceremonial gifts worth less than €200, but more expensive items must be turned over to the government. Declaring gifts is mandatory for Greek ministers under a 2021 law, but the registry has not been made public, Mr. Loukopoulos said.
