The exec response can be coming from a variety of angles:

1) Reuters reached out and he simply provided a snippet of what is happening;

2) US firms are interested in the product;

3) US firms are interested in using this conversation to leverage negotiations with another party;

4) Whether they are getting little to no traction or some, Huawei may be trying to say "look, we are not nuclear, others are talking to us, you should too' to prop up interest and willingness via journalism.