Chinese telecom giant Huawei stepped up its legal battle on Wednesday to overturn US legislation barring American federal agencies from buying its products amid an escalating high-tech dispute.
Huawei filed suit against the US bill in March, calling it “unconstitutional” and saying the US Congress had failed to provide evidence to support its restrictions on Huawei products.
The company filed a motion for summary judgment on Wednesday (Tuesday in the United States), seeking a quick determination by US courts on whether the case has merit to proceed.
“The US government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat. There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation,” Huawei’s chief legal officer Song Liuping told reporters.
Speaking at Huawei headquarters in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Song added that US politicians “want to put us out of business.”
The firm also faces a broader US executive order preventing the use of its equipment in the United States as well as the more damaging inclusion this month on an “entity list” that cuts it off from critical American-made components for its products, though a 90-day reprieve was issued.
Huawei, the world’s biggest supplier of telecommunications networking equipment and number-two smartphone manufacturer, has emerged as a central bone of contention in the worsening China-US trade rivalry.
Washington fears Huawei systems could be manipulated by Beijing to spy on other countries and disrupt critical communications, and is urging nations to shun the company in 5G networks.
Chinese state media on Wednesday suggested that Beijing could fight back in the trade war by cutting exports of rare earths to the United States, depriving US companies of a key material to make everything from smartphones to televisions and cameras.