(SDN) — HUAWEI Technologies, a “sleeping dragon,” has awaken and is fighting back its behemoth enemy, the United States government.
On Thursday, March 7, six top officials of the global Chinese technology company announced that they filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government in a court in the State of Texas.
Guo Ping, Huawei rotating chairman, spoke first, breaking a news that has been going the rounds among American journalists before the press conference.
He said the China-based company filed the lawsuit to defend itself.
“Today, Huawei announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government to challenge the constitutionality of Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA,” said Guo.
Images: courtesy of Youtube.com which live-streamed the media event.
Apparently, the company, which is described as the world leader in the emerging 5G technology, can no longer take the punches being unleashed by American officials, not the least the President himself, Donald Trump, congressional leaders, and other high-ranking government officials.
And Huawei is taking America head-on where it matters: in the proper courts, not in the courts of world opinion, nor in the pages of print and online news media organizations, nor in television or radio. Sooner than later the breaking news erupted in the media world.
They made the announcement during a surprise press conference before members of the international media at Huawei’s headquarters in its sprawling complex in Shenzhen.
Journalists were earlier invited by the company to visit the headquarters to see for themselves its inner workings as much as allowed.
Guo revealed in his statement he read from a device that the China telecommunications company giant has six remedies contained in its lawsuit.
Two of the six remedies, he said, are “a declaratory judgement that the restrictions targeting Huawei are unconstitutional, and a permanent injunction against the restrictions.”
The Huawei executive, as well as the others who spoke after him, had a common theme, concerning what they said was the U.S. Congress’s repeated failure to come up with a shred of evidence in support of the restrictions on Huawei products.
Guo also emphasized that the company filed the case after the company was left with no other means to convince the American lawmakers. “We are left with no choice but to challenge the law in court.”
Aside from being unlawful, he said, the ban also harms not only Huawei but American consumers deprived of its products.
“Huawei operates in more than 170 countries and the region as a leading technology provider. Huawei has always taken its responsibility seriously, specifically the responsibility to make secure equipment that meets industry standards,” Guo said. “We will never allow others to install (anything) in our equipment.”
He acknowledged what he described the American government’s branding his company as “a threat.”
On the other hand, Guo said the U.S, government “has hacked our servers and stolen our emails, and our source code, Despite this, the U.S. government has never provided any evidence supporting the accusation that Huawei poses a threat to cybersecurity.”
It can be recalled that Trump has been calling on U.S. allies to not use 5G equipment from Huawei because of security reasons.
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the Philippines during which reiterated the American President’s call.
“We believe that competition, whether it’s in 5G or some other technology, ought to be open, free, transparent, and we worry that Huawei is not that. Our task has been to share with the world the risks associated with that technology, the risks to the Filipino people, the risk to Philippine security,” Pompeo said in Manila as reported by Rappler.com.
On the other hand, Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), said amidst the American official’s warning that it will be the government which will determine the risks associated with technology.
Related: PH telecommunications industry to collapse if Huawei equipment removed — DICT says
“Well, that is actually the official line of the United States government. It is trying to convince its allies the Philippines included on the dangers that they perceived Huawei (may have) on national security,” the DICT official said.
At the same time, Rio said the concerns raised against Huawei are being taken with seriousness by the government.
In his statement at the press conference, Guo said that restricting the contributions of Huawei on the 5G technology to the U.S. and other nations “will only harm their network and national interest.”
“If this law is set aside as it should be, Huawei can bring more advanced technology to the United States and help it use the best of 5G network,” Guo said, adding Huawei was hoping for the Texas court’s verdict that would be beneficial to Huawei and the people of America. (EKU)