China’s Huawei must face US criminal charges, judge rules

A US judge on Tuesday rejected Huawei Technologies’ bid to dismiss most of a federal indictment accusing the Chinese telecommunications company of trying to steal technology secrets from US rivals and misleading banks about its work in Iran.

In a 52-page decision, US District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn found sufficient allegations in the 16-count indictment that Huawei engaged in racketeering to expand its brand, stole trade secrets from six companies, and committed bank fraud.

The Iran accusations stemmed from Huawei’s alleged control of Skycom, a Hong Kong company that did business in that country.

Donnelly said prosecutors satisfactorily alleged Skycom “operated as Huawei’s Iranian subsidiary and ultimately stood to benefit, in a roundabout way”, from more than US$100 million of money transfers through the US financial system.

Huawei has pleaded not guilty and had sought to dismiss 13 of the 16 counts, calling itself “a prosecutorial target in search of a crime”.

A trial is scheduled for May 4, 2026, and could last several months.