China hits out as US slaps criminal charges against Huawei

BEIJING: China reacted sharply against the US after Washington slapped several criminal charges against Chinese telecom giant Huawei. It described the US move as unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies.

"The United States has been using state power to smear and attack specific Chinese enterprises, destroying the legitimate operations of the companies," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. There are strong political motives and manipulations behind the US actions, the foreign ministry said.

India recently invited Huawei to test its 5G technology in the country. But the company has come under severe pressure in the UK, Australia and Poland, besides US and Canada where it is suspected of involvement in espionage.

The US has charged Huawei with selling equipment to Iran and ignoring a ban in doing so. The US justice department has also charged the telecommunications equipment maker with stealing robotic technology from T-Mobile US Inc.

Huawei has denied the first charge and said it had already settled the second issue with T-Mobile in 2017.

At stake is the future of Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, who is under house arrest in Vancouver, Canada, on the basis of charges made by the US. She faces extradition to the US and trial there.

China sees the US decision to file criminal charges as an attempt to thwart trade talks scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. A high-level Chinese trade delegation has already arrived in Washington for the talks.

Questions are being asked about whether China would respond with tit-for-tat action and initiate investigations against American companies in China.