The Huawei row between the US and China has apparently taken a new turn as the company has reportedly decided to sue the US government itself. While the case appears to be a no-go, it could still be detrimental to Washington.
Chinese tech giant Huawei has seemingly opted to retaliate against the scaremongering campaign launched by Washington by challenging the US narrative and winning a right to publicly defend itself. The firm is considering filing a lawsuit against the US government, accusing it of basically punishing Huawei without prior legal process, the New York Times reports, citing anonymous sources, who are “familiar with the matter.”
The potential legal action would challenge a section of last year’s defense spending authorization law, which barred US government agencies from using Huawei products for some “security reasons.” According to the paper’s sources, the tech giant would argue that the motion basically amounts to a “bill of attainder” – or a legislative act singling out a person or an entity for punishment without trial.
Huawei is expected to announce the suit later this week, although its decision is reported to be not final and the company might still change or abandon its plans. If it decides to proceed, it would likely file the lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas, where the company’s American headquarters is located.
The chances of a Chinese company winning a controversial lawsuit against the US government in a US court does not look particularly bright, analysts believe. Even though “the US constitution explicitly rules out this kind of acts,” there have still been “precedents” when such measures have been applied, Joseph Cheng, a Hong Kong-based political scientist and a professor at the City University of Hong Kong, told RT, adding that Washington believes it has a “strong case” anyway.