Chinese Huawei supplier will punish staff for buying Apple iPhone in show of support for troubled tech giant

One of Huawei’s suppliers has threatened to fine its staff if they buy an Apple iPhone at any time in the next three years, in a bizarre show of support for the beleaguered Chinese technology giant.

Menpad, a Shenzhen-based LCD display maker, said it will punish any employee that buys the popular American smartphone by fining them by an amount equivalent to its market price.

In an apparent show of nationalistic pride and support for its troubled counterpart, it also said it will cease to buy any American products such as office equipment, computers and cars, and will reward staff who buy Huawei or ZTE phones by giving them a 15 per cent subsidy.

It doesn’t stop there. It will double the sales commission to any employee who manages to sell its products to the US, it said in a statement on its website on Monday.

Menpad may be the first Chinese corporation to announce measures to support Huawei, which has been rocked by the arrest in Canada of its chief financial officer, who stands accused of violating US sanctions against Iran.

“If employees buy any iPhone for themselves, the company will impose a 100 per cent penalty on the basis of the phone’s market price, ” the statement said.