A US federal trial against Huawei begins in Brooklyn, where the prosecution describes the company as a “criminal enterprise.” In the government’s opening statement, a US Department of Justice attorney says Huawei allegedly stole from US companies, used “theft, lies, [and] cover-up” to build its telecommunications business, and sought to use the American financial system to support its global expansion.
Huawei’s defense argues the case is about business competition rather than conspiracy. The defense characterizes the dispute as a commercial rivalry that has been framed as wrongdoing, with no admission in the opening statements that the company committed the specific conduct alleged by the prosecution.
Across coverage, the start of the trial focuses on competing characterizations: the DOJ presents a long-running pattern of alleged theft and deception aimed at industry dominance, while the defense challenges that framing and contests the prosecution’s narrative from the outset. The case proceeds from the opening arguments as the parties prepare to present evidence in federal court.
