Owens blamed what he called the US government's unfair treatment of Huawei on mistrust of both China and its companies.

"You want to find the best telecoms in the world, you go to Huawei," said Owens, who disclosed a connection to an enterprise that sells Huawei equipment in the US. "I'm unafraid because I know it's the best equipment, and we should be unafraid. If you want the best, you can't find it in companies that are competing with Huawei today."

"For the good of American people", he said, "we need Huawei in the United States."

Ding's address focused on Huawei's global-growth strategy, but made no reference to the company's problems with the US government. Follow-up questions from the audience were not permitted for either speaker.

Ding's presentation stressed how Huawei has become a leading maker of networking gear on the back of strong sales in China, Europe and emerging markets.

The conference, sponsored by Columbia Business School and the Greater China Society, explored the theme of the "Search for China's Next Growth Frontier", amid the nation's pivot away from an investment-driven growth model in favor of new growth strategies.