At its ongoing annual analyst summit in Shenzhen, China, Huawei has hit back at the US government’s hardening stance against the company. Keynote speakers at the event also vociferously denied persistent allegations of spying leveled at the company by some US lawmakers and security agencies. Huawei’s rotating chairman, Guo Ping, also accused the US government of hurting the global telecom and technology industry with its anti-Huawei policies.
According to Ping: “In its relentless pursuit to tighten its stranglehold on our company, the US government has decided to proceed and completely ignore the concerns of many companies and industry associations. This decision was arbitrary and pernicious, and threatens to undermine the entire industry worldwide. This new rule will impact the expansion, maintenance, and continuous operations of networks worth hundreds of billions of dollars that we have rolled out in more than 170 countries”.
Ping was referring to the US government’s recent move to block global semiconductor foundries, like TSMC, from manufacturing chips for Huawei. According to the country’s Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, the move will prevent Huawei from using American technology to design and manufacture semiconductors by circumventing existing trade sanctions. The Trump administration had earlier extended the trade sanctions on Huawei until May 2021.
Huawei’s consumer business CEO, Yu Chengdong, also came down heavily on the US government. Speaking at the same event on Monday, he claimed that the actions are less about US national security concerns and more about maintaining US technological hegemony around the world. According to him: “The so-called national security is just an excuse. It’s the threat to its technological hegemony that counts”.
