Chinese technology giant Huawei said in a press release on Wednesday that it has filed a motion in a United States court, seeking summary judgement in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn American legislation barring its federal agencies from buying Huawei’s products, on grounds of national security.
Huawei’s motion claimed that Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act is unconstitutional. The complaint added that the section not only mentions Huawei by name and bars government agencies from buying the company’s products, but also prohibits them from dealing or awarding grants or loans to third parties who buy Huawei equipment and services.
“The US government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat,” the company’s Chief Legal Officer Song Liuping told reporters. “There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation.” He claimed that the United States wants to put Huawei out of business.
“Politicians in the US are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company,” Song said. “This is not normal. Almost never seen in history.” He added that banning Huawei in the name of cyber security will not make networks more secure.
Huawei also condemned the US government’s decision to put it on the Entity List. Sale or transfer of American technology to a company or person on the Entity List requires a license issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security.
“This sets a dangerous precedent,” Huawei said. “Today it’s telecoms and Huawei. Tomorrow it could be your industry, your company, your consumers.” However, the company added that it has full faith in the US judicial system.
United States President Donald Trump had on May 15 signed an executive order declaring a national emergency, banning American telecom companies from using foreign-made equipment that are considered a threat to national security. However, on May 20, the administration gave the technology giant a 90-day temporary licence to prevent disruption of services to consumers.
Song said on Wednesday the company was looking at ways to tackle its placement on the Entity List. He said the US government’s move has affected more than 1,200 suppliers and could adversely affect its 3 billion customers in 170 countries, Reuters reported.
In March, Huawei had filed a suit against the US legislation. The complaint said that the provisions of the legislation violated due process and selectively punished the Chinese technology giant, AP reported.
Many countries, along with the US, have expressed fears of China using Huawei products for surveillance. However, the company has denied these allegations.
The decision to blacklist the telecom company came amid a trade war between the United States and China. On May 10, Donald Trump increased import duty on Chinese products worth nearly $300 billion (Rs 21 lakh crore). Beijing retaliated by announcing plans to hike tariffs on $60 billion (Rs 4 lakh crore) worth of imports from the United States from June 1.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!