China’s Huawei says rivals using politics to keep it out of US for fear of competition

Huawei Technologies plans to launch one of the world’s first 5G handsets as it looks to move beyond its setback in the United States market, which the company described as an attempt by rivals to keep out a strong competitor.

Richard Yu Chengdong, the chief executive of Huawei’s consumer business group, said on Sunday that certain governments worry that the company has “become too strong” at a media round-table in Barcelona, Spain.

“Huawei has no issue on cybersecurity and privacy. In fact, we are doing better than others. Huawei is a transparent company, and we follow local laws”, said Yu.

“All US carriers want to do business with Huawei. The US government and some competitors do not compete with Huawei on technology, but they are using politics to keep us out. That’s unfair. They worry we are too strong.”

He did not elaborate on who those competitors are.

Shenzhen-based Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment supplier and third biggest smartphone brand, has seen its network equipment and handset sales flourish over the past few decades across the world, where it “has formed strategic relationships with all major telecoms operators”, said a company spokesman on Friday.