Huawei accuses US of cyberattacks, threatening employees
Chinese technology giant Huawei is fighting back against a Department of Justice probe, accusing the U.S. of using “every tool at its disposal,” including cyberattacks, to disrupt the company’s business.
In a press release Huawei posted online this week, it accused the U.S. government of launching cyberattacks against it, using law enforcement to threaten its employees, conspiring with other companies to bring unsubstantiated accusations against it and generally obstructing its business.
“For the past several months, the U.S. government has been leveraging its political and diplomatic influence to lobby other governments to ban Huawei equipment,” the company said in its statement. “Furthermore, it has been using every tool at its disposal — including both judicial and administrative powers, as well as a host of other unscrupulous means — to disrupt the normal business operations of Huawei and its partners.”
Huawei released the statement after reports that U.S. prosecutors were looking into allegations that the company stole intellectual property. Several U.S. companies, including Motorola Solutions and T-Mobile, have sued Huawei over the alleged theft of trade secrets.
The company denied the accusations and said that it has heavily invested in research and development for more than 30 years.
“This is the source of our company’s success,” Huawei said in the statement. “No company becomes a global leader in their field through theft.”
Meanwhile, Huawei is preparing to launch a new line of high-end smartphones in Europe, Reuters reported.
That launch is coming despite a ban that prevents Google from allow Huawei to include its operating system or apps on the phones.
U.S. officials have accused Huawei of having close ties with the Chinese government. Earlier this year, President Trump called Huawei “very dangerous” from security and military standpoints.
The company has denied working for the Chinese government. In its statement Tuesday, it said that none of the accusations brought against it by the U.S. government have been supported by sufficient evidence.
“We strongly condemn the malign, concerted effort by the U.S. government to discredit Huawei and curb its leadership position in the industry,” the company said.