The Chinese technology company Huawei is under criminal investigation in the US by federal prosecutors who accuse it of stealing trade secrets from American partners. The investigation is linked to an earlier civil lawsuit against Huawei in which the company, the world’s second largest manufacturer of mobile phones, was found guilty of stealing T-Mobile’s smartphone technology. The latest allegation could deepen the trade rift between China and the United States and put further pressure on Huawei, which is at the centre of suspicions that its equipment allows China to monitor sensitive communications. Beijing and Washington are due to hold another high-level round of trade talks at the end of the month. Beijing raised concerns today that the investigation into Huawei was…

Source: The Times January 17, 2019 09:11 UTC