Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei Technologies Co. is not engaged in spying activities, its founder said Friday, emphasizing the company would never comply with a request by the government to share confidential information.

If the Chinese government were to call for an improper provision of information, Huawei "would reject" the request, Ren Zhengfei said in a meeting with Kyodo News and other Japanese media outlets in Shenzhen, southern China, where the firm's headquarters is located.

Ren, 74, is the father of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested by Canadian authorities in December in Vancouver at the request of the United States on U.S. fraud charges linked to an alleged breach of sanctions on Iran.

He spoke out against plans the United States, Japan and some European countries to exclude Huawei from public procurement amid security concerns.

"Our customers have never faced safety problems" by using technology products and services of Huawei, said Ren, a former engineer in China's People's Liberation Army.

Ren, a billionaire who prefers life out of the spotlight, has in recent days met with the foreign press in an apparent attempt to insist that Huawei has not been involved in spying activities.

Huawei is a leading company in the field of next generation 5G mobile communications networks.

The tech giant has played a crucial role in the "Made in China 2025" blueprint, under which Chinese President Xi Jinping has been trying to create global leaders in robotics, artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies at the state's initiative.

So far, no evidence has been found to confirm that the Chinese government has stolen confidential information from abroad through Huawei's products.

But fears about espionage by Chinese firms will not fade, given that the government and companies have close links in China, a country that is effectively ruled by the Communist Party alone, foreign affairs experts say.

Meng is reportedly free on bail in Vancouver as she awaits possible extradition to the United States on fraud charges.