Huawei said it can still be No. 1 even without Google

The US ban has affected several of Huawei phones, blocking those devices from getting Google apps preinstalled. But in the eyes of Huawei CEO and founder Ren Zhengfei, this can not stop Huawei from becoming the world's top smartphone brand.

Asked in an interview by CNN on Tuesday whether Huawei can still become the world's No. 1 smartphone brand even without Google, Ren said: "I don't think that would be a problem," adding that it will just take more time.

Huawei is already the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker. It was on track to overtake Samsung as the No. 1 seller of smartphones this year, until it landed on a US trade blacklist.

The ban make customers outside of China become wary of buying a phone that may not have access to the Google Play Store and popular apps like Facebook, Uber and Google Maps.

Huawei has said repeatedly that it would prefer to work with Google if possible. But it is working on a "large scale" backup plan, Ren said.

The backup plan is currently known as Harmony OS, which it has put into its first smart TVs. It will eventually be its one OS to rule all its smart products if it continues to be blocked from using Android on its phones.

It’s a rather bold claim. Huawei may still have the Chinese mobile market in its grasp but it is slipping in the overseas market. It has its own Android app store but that only has a fraction of what’s available on Google Play Store.

Huawei has 45,000 apps available for download. That compares with about 2.8 million in the Google Play Store, according to market data company Statista.

Ren said that the United States is still the most powerful country when it comes to innovation, and no one — including China — can overtake the country for "decades to come."

But he suggested Washington may inadvertently help the rise of competitors if it continues to place restrictions on which US companies can trade with.

If Huawei can't work with US suppliers, "we will have to resort to alternatives. If those alternatives become mature, I think it'll become less likely to switch back to previous versions," Ren said.