The world’s largest annual mobile technology tradeshow — Mobile World Congress (MWC) — started this week in Barcelona, Spain, in the backdrop of trade tensions fuelled by the United States. The annual event opened the day before fresh American tariffs come into force on Chinese goods.
At Nokia’s pre-show press conference, outgoing CEO Pekka Lundmark navigated a delicate balance while addressing the increasingly tense geopolitical landscape brought about by Donald Trump 2.0. According to a report by FierceNetwork, when asked about the question said to be weighing on everyone’s thoughts: Has Nokia engaged in talks with the US government regarding the Donald Trump administration acquiring a stake in the company?
“We’re obviously not commenting,” replied Lundmark. “Let me just say that we collaborate with governments, including the U.S. government, and our presence in the U.S. is incredibly significant to us—though Europe remains equally vital.”
The CEO went on, “We would hope for cooperation between Europe and the United States, as it truly benefits everyone involved. But if that doesn’t materialize, we’ll need to address both markets independently,” he reportedly added with a pragmatic tone. Lundmark emphasized Nokia’s pride in being “headquartered in Europe,” while underscoring that “the US is our second home.”
Talking about the Tariff war, Nokia CEO Lundmark said, “Obviously a global tariff war would not be to anyone’s benefit,” although “nobody really knows what’s going to happen” on trade.”