The founder of Huawei said he doubts President Joe Biden will remove US sanctions that battered the telecom equipment giant’s smartphone sales, but expressed confidence the company can survive, AP reported.

Ren Zhengfei said strong sales of network gear and other technology should make up for Huawei’s weaker handset business, according to a transcript released by the company.

“We can still survive even without relying on phone sales,” he was quoted as telling reporters.

Huawei Technologies Ltd., China’s first global tech brand, is at the center of conflict with Washington over technology and security. American officials say the maker of network equipment and smartphones might facilitate Chinese spying, an accusation Ren and other executives deny.

Ren said he expects Biden to consider US chip and other suppliers that are losing billions of dollars in sales to Huawei. But he said it is “very unlikely” Huawei will be removed from the “Entity List.”