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Despite being among the richest families in China, the owners of tech giant Huawei have gone unnoticed until recently.
But they are now at the center of public attention after the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer and daughter of the company's chairman, Ren Zhengfei. She was arrested in Canada for alleged violations of the sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran.
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The United States accuses her of using a subsidiary, Skycom, to circumvent the sanctions. While Huawei insists that Skycom is an independent company, China calls for the immediate release of the executive and calls the detention a "human rights violation".
The Canadian court is currently considering an extradition request from the United States.
The meager appearances in the media of the older members of the dynasty contrast with the exposure of the younger members of society. And this allows you to know some details of the luxurious life of this clan, led by Ren Zhengei and his three children.
Patriarch's Military Past
Ren Zhengfei, the patriarch of the family, turned 74 in October. Of modest origin, it now occupies the position of 83rd richest citizen of China (its wealth is 3.2 billion US dollars or 12.3 billion rand).
According to his official biography, he was born into a rural family. Ren had the opportunity to study and, at age 19, entered the Chongquing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Entering such a reputed university has prompted many people to wonder if he actually had a mediocre track record.
"We had salt to cook, so some people think we are rich," he said countering critics in an interview with the BBC in 2015.
There are two years, Ren has reappeared publicly, but in situations not so common among millionaires: an image of your waiting for a taxi at the airport in Shanghai, for example, has become viral on social networks.
His interview with the BBC was one of the few occasions when he spoke to a newspaper. This discretion contributed to the mystery of his life.
We know that for nearly 10 years, he held various technical positions as an engineer in the Chinese army, which, according to him, happened "by chance".
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In his interview with the BBC, he denied the fact that his company had been asked to perform espionage duties.
"It is impossible to enter the systems of others and we have never received such requests from the Chinese government," he said.
But when BBC reporter Linda Yueh asked him to confirm that his company and he had no connection with the Chinese government or the army, Ren said that he supported the Chinese Communist Party and that his group was faithful to his country. But he said that he was not allowing that feeling to affect security or the interests of other countries.
The career of the eldest daughter
Ren is married three times. His current wife, Su Wei, is several years younger than him and has been his secretary, according to the South China Morning Post.
With Meng Jun, his first wife, he had two children in the early 1970s: Meng Wanzhou and Meng Ping.
According to Chinese newspapers, both parents adopted the mother's last name to avoid "unexpected attention".
Meng Wanzhou, 46, also known as Sabrina or Cathy Meng, began her career as a receptionist before becoming Huawei's chief financial officer.
Like his father, Meng also tried to remain discreet (in fact, many were even surprised to learn that they were father and daughter). Discretion has collapsed with international disclosure of his arrest in Canada.
Thanks to Canadian court documents that judge his case, details of his private life were revealed.
Meng, who has four children and is married twice, said he lived in Canada until 2009, the year of his return to China. However, he said that he was coming back to Canada constantly.
This explains some of his properties in Canada, such as a six-bedroom house valued at $ 4.2 million and another large house of $ 12.2 million.
On the other hand, his lawyers talked about his health problems. Meng had thyroid cancer, hypertension and sleep disorders. In addition, you must take daily doses of medication, according to the lawyers.
The second son of Huawei's guru, Meng Ping (also known as Ren), is little known, apart from the fact that he also works in his father's company. According to the New York Times, Ping would have little interest in succeeding the father in charge of the company.
Shortly after founding Huawei, Ren divorced to marry his second wife, Yao Ling, with whom he had his second daughter, Annabel Yao, who is now 20 years old.
Computer science student at the prestigious Harvard University and a member of a ballet company, the life of the youngest member of the dynasty has nothing to do with the discretion that characterizes the older members.
At least, that's what their social networks demonstrate. She often publishes images of luxury and glamor – also shows her pbadion for ballet, fashion and travel.
A few days before the arrest of his sister Meng Wahzhou, for example, Yao was one of the protagonists of the Paris Ball, one of the most exclusive beginner dances for aristocratic girls or rich families around the world.
They have already attended this event, which traditionally served to introduce young women into society when they were maturing, girls with personality such as the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi or the Former president of Nissan, Brazilian-Lebanese Carlos Ghosn.
On the occasion of the evening, Yao realized something new: his parents would pose with him in the luxurious family manor of Shenzen, China, for an interview with the French magazine Paris Match.
One of the images shows some aspects of the property, such as marble statues, oriental carpets and a living room reproducing the reception of the Grand Hotel de Paris. The magazine described the mansion as a "giant palace" – seven acres of gardens only.
In the interview, Yao says that he practices piano, calligraphy and Chinese painting.
"I really wanted to have the opportunity to feel that I was growing up and going out into the world," he told Vogue magazine about his beginner dance.
"It's time to work even harder, so I'm not just a role model for other girls, but a person who has achieved his goals," he said.
Faithful to his style, his father made no statement to Paris Match magazine.
"I'm not at all mysterious, I do not know anything about technology or finance, if you do not know a lot, it's better to be quiet, otherwise people will see you're a hustler." do not keep this profile on purpose, "he told the BBC in 2015.
HUAWEI CASE: PRISON OF EXECUTIVA
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