Huawei: Blacklisting us could put tens of thousands of Americans out of work
- Huawei's chief legal officer said Wednesday that the US government's blacklisting of the company could cost Americans jobs.
- Song Liuping said 1,200 US companies will be directly harmed, with "tens of thousands" of American jobs put at risk as a result.
- This is the latest barb in the escalating tensions between the Chinese tech giant and the Trump administration.
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Huawei is fighting back against US President Donald Trump's administration by saying that blacklisting the company will hit US industry hard.
Huawei has locked horns with the US government after the Department of Commerce placed the company on an "entity list," preventing American firms from doing business with Huawei without first seeking government permission.
Read more: "No gun, no smoke, only speculation": Huawei ups its legal battle against the US over federal ban
At a press conference in Shenzen on Wednesday, Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping upped the ante against the US government, warning that the ban will hurt billions of users and potentially put Americans out of work.
"This decision threatens to harm our customers in over 170 countries, including more than three billion consumers who use Huawei products and services around the world," Song told reporters, according to the BBC.
"By preventing American companies from doing business with Huawei, the government will directly harm more than 1,200 US companies. This will affect tens of thousands of American jobs," added Song.
At the same conference, he announced that Huawei was ramping up efforts in a lawsuit it filed against the US in March, objecting to a government ban on military and official personnel using Huawei devices. Huawei argues it is unconstitutional.