Huawei: Microsoft president finally seeks US technology ban

Microsoft's president has urged the United States to end a ban on Huawei Windows software for the Chinese company's computers.

Huawei was blacklisted by the Trump administration in May for allegations that it posed a threat to US security.

This prevents US companies from offering the latest technology.

Brad Smith said he did not think US security would be "undermined" by letting Huawi's customers use the operating system or Office apps.

"Governments around the world will meet their national security needs," he told BBC News.

"But we think it would be a mistake at the same time to try to draw some new digital iron blanket down the Pacific ̵[ads1]1; I think that would hold back the United States, would hold back the world's democracies.

" We are one of the several companies that have searched the US Commerce Department so that we can continue to offer our software system to Huawei for devices such as laptops.

"There may be some issues that require some approaches around 5G, but one should ask if it is the right approach for all the equipment a particular company can make."

US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in July that his department would issue licenses to exempt companies from the ban on selling technology to Huawei, as long as there was no "threat to US national security."

This would not have affected a separate order from US President Donald Trump that effectively banned Huawei from selling 5G equipment to US telecom networks.

However, it does not appear that the Ministry of Commerce has issued any such licenses despite receiving more than 100 requests.

As a result, Huawei will launch its latest Android flagship phone on Wednesday without any of Google's major apps, including YouTube, Maps and the Play Store.

BBC News has learned that it will instead pre-install the Huawei Mobile Service suite of software on the Mate 30 handset, which provides internal alternatives to Google products.

In addition, Huawei intends to offer a service in phone shops to teach users to load Google software on Mate 30 itself.

For its part, the Shenzhen-based company denies that it poses a cybersecurity risk because the Chinese government can make it compromise with its customers.

"Huawei's devices and networks are not a threat to the United States or any country," the website states.

"We abide by all local laws and regulations of all the nations we operate in."

& # 39; Right balance & # 39;

Mr Smith is Microsoft's longest serving director and serves as the most important legal officer.

His comments were made during a broader interview given to the BBC to promote a book on Microsoft's view of regulation and other relevant issues.

Smith acknowledged the Commerce Department needed "time to consider" which companies to license.

But he added: "We do not believe that the security of any country is undermined by people being able to use our search service or use our productivity applications, to use Outlook or Word.

" We think it actually opens up opportunities for

Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei, has described his company as being in "a life or death crisis," and there have been speculations on whether the Chinese government could retaliate by restricting US technology companies in turn.

Mr Smith signaled that Apple and others were more exposed to such a threat, but added that he was also concerned about how research collaboration could be affected.

"We do not have as big a business in China as some other technology companies – Only 1.8% of Microsoft's revenue is generated in China," he said.

"At the same time, we are concerned about the impact.

" We would worry if we could no longer gather scientists at Cambridge University or the west coast of the United States or Beijing or Bangalore.

"This is where we will continue to find the solutions the world needs. So yes, we are concerned if we cannot go back and have countries achieve the right balance."