Huawei Launches Court Challenge To US Security Law

Chinese telecom giant Huawei accused the US government on Thursday of hacking its servers and stealing company emails, as the firm announced it has filed a suit in Texas challenging Trump administration's curbs against their products and services.

Rotating chairman Guo Ping did not provide further details about the hacking allegations, but said the US government "has hacked our servers and stolen our emails and source code".

The lawsuit is challenging a 2019 US defence bill that prevents US government agencies from buying Huawei equipment and services, as well as working with third parties that are Huawei customers.

"The US Congress has repeatedly failed to produce any evidence to support its restrictions on Huawei products. We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort," Ping said.

"If this law is set aside, as it should be, Huawei can bring more advanced technologies to the United States and help it build the best 5G networks."

"We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort," Ping said in a statement. "This ban not only is unlawful, but also restricts Huawei from engaging in fair competition, ultimately harming US consumers."

"The US government is sparing no effort to smear the company," he said at a news conference at the tech giant's corporate headquarters in Shenzhen.

Huawei has about 40 percent of the global market for network gear but its US sales evaporated after a congressional panel in 2012 cited the company and a Chinese competitor, ZTE Corp, as security risks and told phone carriers to avoid dealing with them.

Huawei says the new law would shrink its potential US market further.

The company is challenging the US law as an unconstitutional "bill of attainder," or a measure that targets a specific individual for penalties without a trial. The company says that infringes its due process rights and improperly has Congress play the role of a court.

The ban is "based on numerous false, unproven and untested propositions," said Song Liuping, the company's chief legal officer. "Huawei has an excellent security record and programme. No contrary evidence has been offered."

Huawei, founded in 1987 by a former military engineer Ren Zhengfei, says it supplies 45 of the world's top 50 phone companies and has contracts with 30 carriers to test 5G wireless technology.

In January, US prosecutors filed charges accusing Huawei of stealing trade secrets and its chief financial officer of lying to banks about dealings with Iran.

Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, Ren's daughter, was arrested on December 1 by Canadian authorities and is fighting a US extradition request.

The Chinese government has accused Washington of fabricating or exaggerating security concerns to block a successful Chinese competitor. (AFP, AP)