Huawei asks court for speedy end to its U.S. equipment ban

Image: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images

Huawei is looking for a speedy end to its lawsuit against the U.S. government.

The Chinese tech giant filed a summary judgment in the case against the U.S. on Tuesday, in which it challenged the constitutionality of a law which prohibits government agencies from buying Huawei equipment.

Huawei’s chief legal officer, Song Liuping, said that using cybersecurity as an excuse to ban Huawei would do nothing to improve the security of networks, and instills a “false sense of security.”

“Politicians in the U.S. are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company,” Song said in a press conference in Shenzhen on Wednesday.

“They are using every tool they have, including legislative, administrative, and diplomatic channels. They want to put us out of business. This is not normal. Almost never seen in history. 

“The U.S. government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat. There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation.”

The motion’s aim is to get the court to throw out Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which singles out Huawei and ZTE by name. If successful, this would mean that the lawsuit, first filed in March, would avoid a lengthy trial.

The lawsuit, of course, came about before Trump’s decision to add Huawei to the so-called Entity List, which prohibits it from buying products from U.S. companies without government approval. On that, Song said it sets a “dangerous precedent.”

“Today it’s telecoms and Huawei. Tomorrow it could be your industry, your company, your consumers,” he said.

Huawei’s CEO Ren Zhengfei said the company has prepared for restrictions, in which it has reportedly been stockpiling chips to maintain production.