New US curbs threaten Huawei’s smartphone crown, disrupt global tech supply

Ramped-up US restrictions on Huawei are likely to choke the Chinese company’s access to even off-the-shelf chips, threaten its crown as the world’s largest smartphone maker and disrupt global tech supply, executives and experts warned.

The Trump administration expanded its curbs on Huawei on Monday and banned suppliers from selling chips made using U.S. technology to the firm without a special licence – closing potential loopholes in its May sanctions that could have let Huawei access the tech via third parties.

The curbs underscore the growing rift in Sino-U.S. ties as Washington presses governments to squeeze Huawei out, alleging the company would hand over data to Beijing for spying. Huawei denies it spies for China.