Trump’s war on Huawei: time for Asia to panic? Don’t ask Google

The American tech behemoth’s plan to block Huawei devices from Android updates has retailers fearing they will be unable to shift their stock

But some users have put their fears on hold, saying they will wait out the US-China war

Reading Time:6 minutes

Rizal Anotado, the manager of a phone reselling shop in the southern Philippine city of Koronadal, displays her Huawei Y6 devices. Photo: Jef Maitem

Dewey Sim,Jitsiree Thongnoi,Jeoffrey MaitemandKanis Leung

Published: 8:45pm, 23 May 2019Updated: 5:54pm, 24 May 2019

As Donald Trump tightens the screw on tech giant Huawei, the resulting uncertainty is sending jitters through Asian retailers and consumers.

After hearing Google had suspended access to some services for the Chinese phone maker, Shibin Jawahar Sait, a Singaporean shop owner, panicked.

The 34-year-old runs mobile telecoms store OnePhone, and said he knew sales would plummet, so he immediately called his distributor to freeze purchases of Huawei handsets.

“I have about S$18,000 [US$13,000] worth of Huawei phones now,” Shibin said. “And I do not want to add more stock until I am sure how this Google and Huawei conflict is going to play out.”

The American tech behemoth on Monday said it would prevent Huawei devices from receiving some updates to Android – an operating system which has become a part of daily life for millions of smartphone users around the world.

The move came after the US president placed Huawei and its affiliates on a trade blacklist that restricts the company from buying services and parts from American companies without approval.

Huawei has helped break down the stereotype that Chinese electronics are of poor quality. Photo: Reuters

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