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“If the U.S. does discover Huawei's violations,” the Chinese giant said in a statement on Wednesday (February 12), “we again solemnly request they disclose specific evidence instead of using the media to spread rumors.” The angry tirade from the company came in response to a Wall Street Journal article that alleged proof of backdoors built into Huawei network equipment around the world.
Well, the U.S. has now responded—and then some. A new 16-count superseding indictment, charging the Chinese giant and four subsidiaries with racketeering, was filed in New York on Thursday (February 13). The U.S. government has ratcheted up the stakes in the aftermath of a U.K. decision to ignore its pleas for a ban on Huawei equipment and as Germany and France waiver.
“We are very indignant,” Huawei had said earlier in the week, “that the US government has spared no efforts to stigmatize Huawei by using cyber security issues.” And so the U.S. response, the timing of which could not be better played, is designed to publish a “beyond doubt” case of illegal activity against Huawei. The decision earlier in the week to add fuel to the cybersecurity claims and now these detailed charges, all in the same week, suggests a new approach by Washington to address Huawei’s lack of “smoking gun” defense.
