SHENZEN, China - Ren Zhengfei, chief executive and founder of Huawei Technologies Co., on Wednesday expressed strong hope for cooperation with Japan, as the Chinese tech giant faces severe challenges amid a prolonged technology dispute with the United States.

If China and Japan leverage the strengths of each other, "We can create great products," Ren said in an interview with Kyodo News in Shenzhen, southern China, where the firm's headquarters is located. It was his first-ever one-on-one interview with Japanese media.

Ren, meanwhile, said he does not expect a "new Cold War" to develop between Washington and Beijing even as the two countries engage in a trade war, given that China has been highly integrated into the open global economy.

With U.S. trade restrictions imposed on Huawei products since May on national security grounds, Ren voiced concern that if the United States continues the restrictions for three to five years, the Chinese manufacturer could lose its "current position" as a leader of next-generation 5G networking technology in the world.

As for the next phase of the recently launched 5G technology, which Huawei has started to work on developing, Ren said the so-called 6G technology will be put into practice within 10 years.