Microsoft President defends Huawei, calling Trump Un-American

Microsoft President Brad Smith has leapt to the defence of under-fire Chinese vendor Huawei, suggesting the US Government should table evidence if it wants to continue on this path.

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Smith has aired his views on the prolonged tensions between China and the US. In a similar position to some more considered regulators around the world, Smith has demanded the burden of proof to back-up serious accusation made by the White House.

“Oftentimes, what we get in response is, ‘Well, if you knew what we knew, you would agree with us.’ And our answer is, ‘great, show us what you know so we can decide for ourselves. That’s the way this country works,” Smith said.

Smith is of course 100% correct here. We completely understand some details will not be able to be released in their entirety to the general public, but certain individuals, organizations and agencies should be offered insight to evidence which the White House is hording. The burden of truth is not one which should be brushed aside, and President Trump has not earned the right to demand blind belief.

Fortunately, there are some across the world who elect to make responsible and considered decisions. We’re not talking about the Australians, the state which decided to blindly follow the orange light without asking any questions or demonstrating the ability of independent thought, but the Germans.

The fact that Huawei has not been banned from the German market tells us and the world that the White House has not deemed it pertinent to demonstrate proof of nefarious activities to one of its allies.

Last December, Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) took a bold stance against the White House, demanded the US Government produce evidence to support the claims should it want the Germans to introduce its own ban. As there has been no action taken by the German Government or any of its agencies to date, it would be a fair assumption the US Government is yet to produce anything.

The Germans are not alone in ignoring the huffing and puffing from the Oval Office, though Smith joining the party is a notable development.

What is worth noting, is this is probably a commercially based decision, though that is not necessarily something Smith should be scalded for. Like most other US companies, Smith wants the opportunity for his firm to work with one of the technology industry’s fastest growing innovators.

Huawei is one of the world’s leading smartphone manufacturers, but it has also been making some promising moves in the PC and laptop segments also. With tetherless connectivity in laptops set to become a common trait over the next few years, this segment could witness a disruption. As Windows is installed on most PCs and laptops, Smith and Microsoft will win irrelevant as to which brand triumphs, but it will want to make sure it is working with every brand possible.

Microsoft will want to continue working with Huawei, as will many other companies. At least 130 applications have been submitted to the US Commerce Department seeking exemption from the ban to work with Huawei, though none have been approved thus far.

Soon enough, the US Government will have to present evidence to back up the claims. This administration seemingly believes it can bully its way through international relations, though if US companies start turning against US ‘foreign policy’ it creates a very uncomfortable situation.