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One of the largest research institutes in the world, the University of California, Berkeley, has terminated new research projects with Huawei Technologies, a Chinese telecommunications giant.
The university suspension, which came into effect on January 30, comes after the US Department of Justice initiated criminal proceedings against the company and some of its subsidiaries two days earlier. The ministry has announced the indictment of 13 counts against Huawei, accusing him of stealing trade secrets, obstructing justice, violating economic sanctions and wire fraud.
Vice Chancellor for Research Randy Katz said in a letter to members of the Chancellor's office that the campus would continue to honor the commitments made with Huawei, which provide for the funding of ongoing research projects.
Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, has been under house arrest in Canada since December 1 for allegedly misleading US banks by asking them to release funds for a subsidiary that interacted with Iran in violation of US sanctions. His extradition to the United States is pending.
The arrest of Meng has led some observers to question whether his detention was an attempt to put pressure on China in its trade war with the United States. She is the daughter of the company's founder, a relationship that places her among the most influential leaders in China.
Meanwhile, UC Berkeley and other well-known American universities are getting rid of telecom equipment manufactured by Huawei and other Chinese companies to prevent the loss of federal funds under a new national security law.
The administration of US President Donald Trump says that Chinese telecommunication companies are making equipment that allows the Chinese government to spy on users in other countries, including Western researchers working on innovative technologies.
UC Berkeley has removed a Huawei videoconferencing system, said a university official. The University of California at Irvine is also replacing audio-video equipment made in China. Other schools, such as the University of Wisconsin, are currently reviewing their telecom providers.
The action is in response to a Trump law signed in August. A provision of the National Defense Authorization Act prohibits recipients of federal funding from using telecommunication and network equipment manufactured by Hauwei or ZTE.
Universities that do not comply with the law by August 2020 could lose federal research and other funding.
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