China accused Washington of damaging global trade with sanctions that threaten to cripple tech giant Huawei and said it will protect Chinese companies but gave no indication of possible retaliation. The company, China's first global tech competitor, is the biggest supplier of switching equipment for phone companies and a leading smartphone brand. The foreign ministry demanded the Trump administration "stop suppressing Chinese companies.'' Huawei Technologies is at the center of a worsening row between Washington and Beijing over technology and security. Beijing will ``take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,'' Zhao said.

Source: The Standard August 18, 2020 09:56 UTC