White House seeks delay on Huawei ban for contractors

WASHINGTON: The White House Office of Management and Budget has asked the U.S. Congress for more time to phase in a ban on federal contracts with companies that do business with Chinese telecom giant Huawei, part of a defense law passed last year.

The ban is one part of a multifaceted U.S. push against Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world’s largest telecoms network gear maker, which Washington has accused of espionage and stealing intellectual property.

Huawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services. It has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the restrictions in the defense policy bill.

The defense law, called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), placed a broad ban on the use of federal money to purchase products from Huawei, citing national security concerns.