Huawei asks US court to overturn ban as national security threat

"The order on review potentially impacts the financial interests of the telecommunications industry as a whole," Huawei said in its court filing, reports The Verge.

San Francisco: Chinese conglomerate Huawei has reached a court in the US, demanding it to overturn the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) decision to designate the company as a national security threat.

In 2019, the FCC voted to prevent US companies from doing business with Huawei and ZTE on national security concerns.

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The FCC finalised the ban in December 2020, supported by former President Donald Trump.

“The order on review potentially impacts the financial interests of the telecommunications industry as a whole,” Huawei said in its court filing, reports The Verge.

An FCC spokesperson said: “Last year, the FCC issued a final designation identifying Huawei as a national security threat based on a substantial body of evidence developed by the FCC and numerous US national security agencies. We will continue to defend that decision”.

Trump’s Huawei ban was part of a bigger trade war with China, followed by attempts to ban mobile apps TikTok and WeChat.

President Joe Biden has not renewed the war on TikTok, but his administration has indicated that it will continue to crack down on Huawei.

The company went to court as its Founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei on Tuesday urged the new US administration to adopt a more “open policy” towards Chinese companies, while he also expressed his desire to talk to President Joe Biden.

This was the first time the Huawei founder has spoken to international media since the new administration took office in the US.

He said that Huawei, which became a prime target of US restrictions under the Trump administration, hope to avoid getting embroiled in geopolitics, the South China Morning Post reported.

“Our company does not have the energy to be involved in this political whirlpool. We strive to make good products,” he was quoted as saying.

“We hope that the US government can have a more open policy for the benefit of American companies and the development of the US economy.”

The Huawei founder also reiterated his earlier offer to share Huawei’s 5G technology with US companies.