Huawei founder says company faces ‘live or die’ moment

he founder of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei said Tuesday that his company is in a “live or die moment” amid threats of penalties from the U.S.

In a memo obtained by Reuters, Ren Zhengfei told staff to work aggressively toward sales targets as the firm goes into “battle mode” ahead of the U.S. adding Huawei to the “entity list,” which is seen as a death sentence for included groups as U.S. companies are banned from doing business with them.

“The company is facing a live-or-die moment,” Ren, a former Chinese army officer, said in the memo that was verified by Huawei.

“If you cannot do the job, then make way for our tank to roll; And if you want to come on the battlefield, you can tie a rope around the ‘tank’ to pull it along, everyone needs this sort of determination!”

The U.S. on Monday granted Huawei a second 90-day “temporary general license,” allowing the Chinese firm to continue doing business with American companies.