We asked, you told us: You think the US has gone too far against HUAWEI

HUAWEI is facing US trade restrictions that are tougher than ever, to the point where even non-American companies like LG and Samsung are halting shipments to China’s tech giant. The company has warned that it won’t have high-end Kirin processors in its phones for the foreseeable future.

These measures are supposed to prevent HUAWEI from using its cellular networking equipment and smartphones to spy on US interests. But is the crackdown warranted? And if it is, did the US go too far? We asked for your thoughts.

Has the US gone too far against HUAWEI?

Results

We published our poll on September 10, with 3,564 of you chiming in. And the results are clear: most of you believe the US went too far against HUAWEI, with 67.6% of readers contending that the ban was either too strict or shouldn’t have been in place at all. That left just 32.4% of you agreeing with the restrictions.

This doesn’t come as a complete shock. While the US government has been adamant that HUAWEI poses a security risk due to the possibility of receiving surveillance requests from the Chinese Communist Party, there’s been a distinct lack of public evidence to show this has happened. It wouldn’t be surprising if you remain unconvinced that HUAWEI is a threat.

This could have an impact on your phone choices. The ban effectively blocks US sales of HUAWEI phones like the P40 Pro and prevents them from using certain processors or Google apps. Smartphone competition is worse off in the current climate.

Your comments

• Atty Halmágyi: I believe this is too far. HUAWEI is a very good brand, and now it seems even South Korea is helping [the] USA to destroy them. I know HUAWEI has made mistakes, but to kill a company because of this is kinda harsh. [The] USA could give them a second chance as they did to ZTE.
• Terry Trott: China’s authoritarian dictatorship needs to be challenged every step of their way. The free world needs to be as one, in rejection of [China’s] views of how the world should be.
• Eoga: Didn’t these companies pay already for any software or hardware they are using to create their products so they can sell them to whoever they want? How is that a foreign government can tell them to who[m] they can and can’t sell their products? i think every country should just do the same and tell their local companies to… not sell anything to Americans to stop this kind of behavior. Otherwise they could be next, only because the American government wants to.
• Norman William NG: Foolish and childish move. HUAWEI, Xiaomi, and other Chinese Brand contribute a lot of new smartphone users (still learning) as it is more economical and affordable. It will open a lot of new doors of opportunity to higher end user[s of brands] like Samsung, HTC, etc., as humans will never be satisfied with just a mere economical and affordable [device].
• Lamar Taylor: Billion dollar companies fighting and having beef sounds good for headlines, but I don’t want to take sides here. If LG and Samsung don’t want to sell screens to HUAWEI, then that’s their business.
• ANTHONYinCALI: I get banning HUAWEI in the US, I’m totally fine with that. Personally I could care less what they do outside of the US, though.

Thanks for voting in our poll and leaving all your comments! What do you think of the poll and its results? Please offer your thoughts in the comment section below.