Huawei slaps US government with lawsuit in bid to overturn federal ban on its gear
- Huawei’s decision to sue the US government comes as the company faces increasing scrutiny from the US and its allies over the security of its telecoms network gear
- Huawei has been hit with close to two dozen charges from the US, ranging from financial fraud to violating trade sanctions
Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer Huawei Technologies has filed a lawsuit against the US government in a bid to overturn the US federal ban on its gear, the company said on Thursday in Shenzhen.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in Plano, Texas, where Huawei’s US headquarters are located. The company is arguing that the federal ban is unconstitutional, as it singles out a person or a group for punishment without trial.
“After exhausting all other means to allay the doubts of some US lawmakers, we are left with no choice but to challenge the law in court,” said Guo Ping, Huawei’s rotating chairman at a press conference in Shenzhen on Thursday. “This ban not only is unlawful, but also harms both Huawei and US consumers.”
Huawei’s decision to sue the US government comes as the company faces increasing scrutiny from the US and its allies over the security of its telecoms network equipment. The Shenzhen-based firm has been banned in the US from supplying to federal agencies under the country’s National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA).
“The US government has long branded Huawei as a threat. It has hacked our servers and stolen our emails and source code,” said Guo. “Despite this, the US government has never provided any evidence supporting the accusations that Huawei poses a cybersecurity threat. Still, the US government is sparing no effort to smear the company and mislead the public about Huawei.”