Beijing, March 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Embattled Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei said Thursday it had a filed a lawsuit against the US government to challenge a law banning government agencies from using the company’s products over security concerns.
Rotating chairman Guo Ping said at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen that the law signed by US President Donald Trump “not only is unlawful, but also restricts Huawei from engaging in fair competition, ultimately harming US consumers.”
The lawsuit was filed at a US District Court in Plano, Texas.
The US “has repeatedly failed to produce any evidence to support its restrictions on Huawei products,” Guo said. “We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort.”
The tensions surrounding Huawei have put US-China relations under further strain in recent months, just as the countries are waging a prolonged trade war.
In Canada, a court is currently considering a request from the US for the extradition of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the company’s founder Ren Zhengfei.
The US accuses her, Huawei, a US subsidiary and telecom equipment seller Skycom of committing bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges are linked to possible violations of US sanctions against Iran.
In January, the US in a separate case charged Huawei with wire fraud, obstruction of justice and conspiring to steal trade secrets from US carrier T-Mobile.
The US is also pushing back against China’s technological expansion by asking that other countries refuse to adopt Huawei’s 5G infrastructure, which Washington says poses security threats.