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TORONTO — Huawei Technologies Inc. is adamant that it won’t abandon Canadian consumers, telecommunications companies and universities, even if the country’s government bans its 5G technology.

Speaking through a translator at a media roundtable Thursday, the technology giant’s chairman Liang Hua stressed that he believes there is a way for the business to forge ahead in the country, though he noted the relationship between Canada and the company’s home country China is “not ideal.”

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“If Huawei were to be excluded from the deployment of 5G in the country then there are still customers that will choose us. In that case, we will also continue to provide services to those customers that have chosen us,” he said.

“At the end of the day, we hope the decisions on 5G can be based on technology, instead of other factors. We want it to be a level playing field.”

Liang’s comments and his visit come as Huawei is encountering intense scrutiny in the wake of the December arrest of its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou at the behest of the United States, which seeks to extradite her over accusations of fraud and violating international sanctions against Iran.