Huawei has filed a complaint in a US federal court that challenges the constitutionality of Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and seeks a declaratory judgment that the restrictions targeting Huawei are unconstitutional, with a permanent injunction against these restrictions.
“The US Congress has repeatedly failed to produce any evidence to support its restrictions on Huawei products,” says Guo Ping, rotating chairman at Huawei. “We are compelled to take this legal action as a proper and last resort.
“This ban not only is unlawful, but also restricts Huawei from engaging in fair competition, ultimately harming US consumers. We look forward to the court’s verdict, and trust that it will benefit both Huawei and the American people.”
The lawsuit was filed in a US District Court in Plano, Texas. According to the complaint, Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA not only bars all US Government agencies from buying Huawei equipment and services, but also bars them from contracting with or awarding grants or loans to third parties who buy Huawei equipment or services, without any executive or judicial process.
The suit seeks to show that this violates the Bill of Attainder Clause and the Due Process Clause; and also violates the Separation-of-Powers principles enshrined in the US Constitution, because Congress is both making the law, and attempting to adjudicate and execute it.
Song Liuping, Huawei’s chief legal officer, comments: “Section 889 is based on numerous false, unproven, and untested propositions. Contrary to the statute’s premise, Huawei is not owned, controlled, or influenced by the Chinese government. Moreover, Huawei has an excellent security record and program. No contrary evidence has been offered.”
John Suffolk, Huawei’s global cyber security and privacy officer, adds: “At Huawei we are proud that we are the most open, transparent, and scrutinized company in the world. Huawei’s approach to security by design development and deployment sets a high standards bar that few can match.”
According to Huawei, the NDAA restrictions prevent the company from providing more advanced 5G technologies to US consumers, which will delay the commercial application of 5G, in turn, impeding efforts to improve the performance of 5G networks in the US.
Estimates from industry sources show that allowing Huawei to compete would reduce the cost of wireless infrastructure by between 15% and 40%
Guo Ping adds: “If this law is set aside, as it should be, Huawei can bring more advanced technologies to the US and help it build the best 5G networks. Huawei is willing to address the US government’s security concerns. Lifting the NDAA ban will give the US government the flexibility it needs to work with Huawei and solve real security issues.”