A video sung by Chinese children praising China’s technology giant, Huawei, has gone viral on social media amid growing global concerns about the security risks in using the company’s products.
The upbeat song, which Huawei claims it has no involvement with, is titled Huawei the Beautiful, and features nationalistic lyrics in support of the company performed by a children’s choir named Zhoudan Children’s Vocal and Music Workshop located in Zhuhai City, southern China.
In the video, the young performers sing in chorus in front of the Zhuhai Grand Theater about how much pride Huawei has brought to China.
The unnerving clip confirms the company’s close ties with the Chinese regime, which western governments had warned would leave Huawei products susceptible to being exploited by Beijing for spying purposes. The United States, Australia, and the UK have openly scrutinized the tech giant, which aims to be a major player in the expansion of 5G networks.
Video of children praising China’s Huawei goes viral
‘Huawei phones are the most beautiful in the world and they make us smarter’: Chinese children gush about #åHuawei in a viral music video as the tech firm faces global pressure over spying allegationshttps://t.co/C1giOiPiSZ pic.twitter.com/1JrpZV5pbM
— мaттιaѕ wacнтмeιѕтer (@mattiaswac) February 28, 2019
“Of all the phones in the world, which is the most beautiful? Everyone says Huawei!” the children sing and dance in unison.
“Teacher tells me to love my country, and to love our domestic brand Huawei! Huawei is good, Huawei is beautiful, Huawei wins glory for our country!
“The battery is durable and the appearance is nice. The China-made chip is very precious. Ranking first in the phone world, Huawei strives for innovation!”
In the video, the group of children extol the tech company’s virtues while holding Huawei phones and are dressed in white T-shirts emblazoned with red logos of the Chinese characters for China.
“Grandpa says Huawei is a good name, Chinese people can achieve! Huawei is good, Huawei is beautiful, Huawei brings me wisdom,” the three-minute song continues with a display of synchronized steps, hand gestures, and wide smiles.
“Teacher tells me to love my country, and to love our domestic brand Huawei! Huawei is good, Huawei is beautiful, Huawei wins glory for our country!
“We chase dreams in a new era, aspire to achieve when we are young!”
The young children are seen changing into doctor, nurse, and police costumes while singing about how Huawei helps them to achieve their dreams.
“Serving society from childhood to adulthood.”
A young boy leads a rap section towards the end of the video, saying, “Huawei has won glory and splendor for the nation!”
The song’s lyrics were composed by a former member of the Chinese military’s song and dance troupe, Li Yourong; Zang Sijia, a writer for the National Public Security Federation; and Zheng Lenheng, a State Council subsidized writer, according to the production company’s official WeChat social media account.
The music video’s musical director, Zhou Dan, posted on WeChat, “The children’s clear, sweet voices sing out ‘the pride of the nation,’ using the most pure and innocent voices to wish blessings upon Huawei, and to bless all Chinese brands to put on their wings and ‘go into the future, go out into the world.’”
Huawei representatives have denied any involvement in the video or song which went viral on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, but said on in a Weibo post that the children were “very cute.”
Huawei was founded by Ren Zhengfei, a former soldier in the Chinese military, and is the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker and the second largest mobile phone maker. Ren’s military background also raised red flags for Western governments.
When asked if his company provides a backdoor to the Chinese government, @Huawei‘s founder and president, Ren Zhengfei told @BiannaGolodryga: “Even if we were required by Chinese law, we would firmly reject that.”
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— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 20, 2019
The tech giant has also been cast into the spotlight after the arrest of Ren’s daughter and Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in December on U.S. charges of fraud committed to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran.
The United States has blocked Huawei from its 5G mobile broadband networks and has urged European nations to do the same.
