Huawei opens defence in US criminal trial, touting its record of innovation

On Wednesday, Huawei Technologies began its defense in a high-stakes criminal trial in New York's Eastern District Court, arguing that the company is a global tech leader with no interest in stealing trade secrets. The Shenzhen-based firm has pleaded not guilty to 14 criminal counts, including racketeering conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud, and trade secret theft dating back over two decades.

If found guilty, the 40-year-old company could face significant financial and regulatory penalties. The government's case alleges that Huawei operated as a criminal enterprise that stole intellectual property and violated U.S. sanctions against Iran to fuel its global expansion. Over seven weeks, the prosecution called 61 witnesses.

Huawei's defense, led by lawyer Douglas Axel, focused on the company's own record of innovation during Wednesday's proceedings. Senior executive Yang Chaobin, a board member, testified about various advancements Huawei made in telecommunications, handsets, and helping establish industry standards. One example Yang cited was SingleRAN, an architecture allowing mobile network operators to run multiple radio access technologies over a unified hardware platform.

Yang expressed that he was "deeply involved in this innovation" and considered it one of the proudest moments in his Huawei career. The trial has seen numerous challenges for both sides, with the government able to introduce admissions made by Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou after her 2021 detention in Vancouver. Huawei's defense team, including elite "white-shoe" law firms, has spent millions on legal fees and hours to mount their case, which is expected to last well into November.