US spy chiefs stick Huawei on "no buy" list

American fans of Huawei products look likely to face an uphill struggle to secure the latest products in the Chinese company’s portfolio in future. Intelligence heads from agencies such as the FBI, NSA and CIA have stated that they have a lack of trust in telecommunications devices made by Chinese companies, including Huawei and ZTE. The spy chiefs were testifying to a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing when the current director of the FBI, Christopher A. Wray, had this to say about the issue:

We're deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don't share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks.

As China apparently does not share US values, Chinese companies are going to struggle in making any kind of dent in the lucrative American smartphone market. Huawei has rejected claims that it might be up to no good, saying that its products are enjoyed by users worldwide with no threat to their cyber security. However, don’t expect to see Mitch Rapp or Jack Ryan using a Mate 10 anytime soon.

Somewhat ironically, there are two foreign tech firms in the list of brands that dominate China’s smartphone market. Domestic manufacturers Huawei, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi lead the list, but Apple (American) and Samsung (South Korean) also have considerable-sized portions of the market.

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