Look inside Huawei, China's technological giant
A Huawei employee rests under his cabinet during lunch break in Shenzhen, China. This is a common practice in many jobs in China, said photographer Kevin Frayer.
The Chinese company Huawei is one of the giants in the technology industry. It is the world's largest provider of telecommunications equipment, a leader in next-generation 5G technology, and last year Apple passed Apple to the second largest smartphone salesman in the world.
But for many, especially in the West, it is still
And in the United States, suspicion.
A thermal engineer conducts a heat test in research and development of a Huawei plant in Shenzhen.
Huawei employees leave work at the end of a week at the end of April.
For years, Washington has been concerned that the Chinese government could use Huawei equipment to spy on other nations. The US government says Huawei may pose a threat to national security because it is unable to say no to the Chinese government.
Huawei has pushed back on these claims and said it would deny any Chinese governments access to the technology it sells to telecom operators. But last week, the Trump administration replied to the company and placed it on a list of foreign firms that were unable to receive components from US exporters without a license.
Huawei employees work on a production line in Dongguan, China.
A Huawei engineer shows parts in a research and development area.
A face recognition and artificial intelligence screen is seen on monitors on the Huawei bantu campus in Shenzhen.
In an effort to remove some of the mystery around it, Huawei has recently opened its facilities for international media.
Kevin Frayer, a photographer of Getty Images in Beijing, traveled to South China in April to visit three of Huawei's campus.
"My goal was to take people a step further the innovative news and Huawei headlines, to give them a sense of how the company looks and to see who is working there," he said.
A Huawei employee & # 39; s cyber security lab working on the computer in Dongguan
A Huawei engineer opens the door of a server unit during a trip to cyber security lab in Dongguan.
Huawei has 180,000 employees worldwide. they work on campuses Frayer visited Dongguan and nearby Shenzhen, which is considered China's Silicon Valley.
The employees he experienced worked in a variety of roles: production, research and development and finance, just to name a few.
" Jobs at Huawei are coveted, "said Frayer." It is among the highest paying companies in China for highly qualified workers, and many of its employees have been educated overseas and at the country's top schools. Some of the brightest minds are sourced from other companies, and Huawei has also attracted foreign experts to join. "
Huawei employees play pool after work, at recreation area in residences.
Huawei employees use treadmills in a company's gym after work. Shenzhen and the European research and development campus in Dongguan.
"When you first get there, it's a little overwhelming how scattered everything is," he said. "There are restaurants and cafes, sports facilities and own transport system. They have villas and fancy dining rooms for high-end clients and low-cost staff.
"On the new European campus, the buildings are designed to reflect the founder's training as an architect. And every day after lunch, the lights are dimmed in most offices, so workers can fool, which is common with companies in China."
An aerial view of the Huawei European research and development campus in Dongguan.
Huawei workers look at their smartphones while standing up for lunch at Dongguan campus.
An employee sleeps at her lunch during lunch break.
Frayer said that the campuses feel like university campuses: quiet and relaxed, unlike much of the country.
"The only reminders that you are in China were the audience at lunchtime and the end of the working day," he said.
Frayer was able to talk to some employees, and many of them expressed concern about what they see as misunderstandings about the company.
"They were very aware of the political challenges and the American perception, and they went a long way to explaining that Huawei is a technology company trying to innovate like any other technology company – As an engineer puts it to do things making life easier. "
Huawei employees leave at the end of a business day in Dongguan.
A Huawei worker moves boxes on a train used by employees, clients and visitors on campus in Dongguan.
Some of the research and development areas were beyond the boundaries of protecting intellectual property, and Frayer was sometimes asked not to photograph any clients. But overall he said, Huawei was very open in what they allowed.
He called the company a "juggernaut" and a source of national pride in China.
"It's hard to really know what it's like to work there, but people generally looked happy and interested in what they were doing," Frayer said. "You can feel it is big and important, and it grows."
An employee looks at her smartphone as a woman serving tea at a cafe on the company's bantu campus in Shenzhen.
A member of Huawei's reception staff arranges chairs
CNN's Sherisse Pham and Julia Horowitz contributed to this report.
Kevin Frayer is a Getty Images photographer based in Beijing. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Photo editor: Brett Roegiers
