Huawei hits back, claiming US is threatening its employees

Perhaps this is the first hint of a new media strategy from the under-fire vendor as Huawei suggests the US Government is encouraging threats and menace to turns its employees against it.

Although this is only a single act, it is a very different approach to how Huawei has been managing the drama through the last 12 months. This is maybe the position it has been forced into by White House aggression; it might have to start fighting fire with fire.

In a statement, Huawei has suggested the US Government has been “instructing law enforcement to threaten, menace, coerce, entice, and incite both current and former Huawei employees to turn against the company and work for them.”

In shining a light on the bullying tactics of the US Government, perhaps the executive team is looking for sympathy from friendlier nations or for someone to step-in and suggest the actions are not proper. The US Government certainly won’t be shifted from its current course through social embarrassment but calling attention to the strategy it might sour the relationship between the US and other nations around the world.

Aside from encouraging government agencies to act through ‘unscrupulous means’, Huawei is also suggesting the US is:

Although it isn’t entirely clear what the desired outcome of this statement actually is, it is a new approach. To date, Huawei has sat back and absorbed the abuse. Its messages have focused on proving its own innocence, as opposed to tackling its opponent. Perhaps this is about to change.

With this statement, Huawei is calling attention to the less attractive traits of the US. It might consider itself as the front-line of defence, the world police in some people’s eyes, however it can also be viewed as a bully. Not only would many deem this inappropriate, if some of the claims above prove to be true, the White House might well be acting illegally.

President Trump’s administration certainly does things differently from those who have previously inhabited the White House, though the jury is still out on what this actually means. Some like the fact Trump is shaking up politics, some suggest he is an embarrassment to a privileged position of responsibility, a shambolic disaster who stumbles from one inappropriate statement to the next calamitous action.

It does seem there is an element of the ‘straw which broke the camel’s back’ here.

This chapter of the on-going saga is focused on a patent dispute with Rui Pedro Oliveira which has now being going on for two years. Circling around the development of a camera design included in Huawei smartphones, the Department of Justice has launched an investigation as a result. Huawei believes Oliveira is taking advantage of the geopolitical climate and the US Government is jumping on another opportunity to swing the stick at the firm.

Perhaps this will be the beginning of a new media strategy, drawing the attention to the US’ ugly traits. This Presidential administration has certainly taken a more combative, bullying approach to international relations, though we suspect it will not be too bothered by the Huawei statements. That said, other governments might take notice and start getting irked by the continued campaign of hate and ‘unpresidential’ actions.