Laszlo Balogh/Getty images/AP Photo/Vincent Yu
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo (left) and Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei.
- The US and Chinese phone giant Huawei are at each other's throats.
- America claims Huawei is used as a backdoor for the Chinese government to spy. Huawei denies this.
- The US has been lobbying allies to reject Huawei's 5G technology, but not everyone's listening.
The tension between the US and Huawei has reached fever pitch over claims the Chinese tech company acts as a backdoor for the Chinese government to spy.
The US gave a defence briefing at Mobile World Congress this week in which it called the Chinese phone giant "duplicitous and deceitful."
Read more: Here's a close-up look at Huawei's $2,600 folding phone, the Mate X
Meanwhile, Huawei chairman Guo Ping lashed out at the US while presenting at MWC, saying it has "no evidence, nothing," that the firm spied on behalf of the Chinese government. It used the tech show to parade its 5G network ambitions, including debuting its foldable 5G phone, the Mate X.
The US has been furiously lobbying its allies to freeze out Huawei's 5G network equipment, citing national security concerns. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned allied countries in mid-February that it would be "more difficult" for the US to partner with countries that didn't distance themselves from Huawei.
Its lobbying efforts have been met with mixed success. Here is a run-down of how allies have reacted.