Huawei charges are US attempt to smear Chinese companies, Beijing says
- ‘Political motivation’ is behind attack on companies’ legitimate operations, says Chinese foreign ministry
- Huawei issues statement denying charges filed in US on Monday against telecoms giant for allegedly stealing trade secrets and violating US sanctions
China has vowed to defend the interests of Chinese companies and expressed its concern after the United States’ announcement of criminal charges against telecoms giant Huawei, denouncing the move as politically motivated and immoral.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the US should halt what he called unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies and withdraw its arrest warrant against Huawei chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou.
“The United States has been using state power to smear and attack specific Chinese enterprises, destroying the legitimate operations of the companies,” Geng said.
“There is strong political motivation and manipulation behind it. China is determined to protect legitimate rights of Chinese companies.”
The US Justice Department filed nearly two dozen charges on Monday against Huawei, its affiliates and Meng, accusing the company and Meng of conspiring to violate US sanctions against Iran by doing business with Tehran through a subsidiary Huawei tried to hide.