After Huawei, the USA Blacklists Another Major Smartphone Manufacturer

Although Donald Trump is just days away from leaving the White House for good, that didn’t stop the outgoing administration from making a decision that will trigger a lot of dissatisfaction. After Huawei, this time it’s the turn for another major smartphone manufacturer from Asia to be blacklisted: Xiaomi.

Xiaomi has gained a lot of respect in recent years, becoming even the third biggest smartphone manufacturer on the planet, after Samsung and Huawei. Known for building powerful and affordable phones, Xiaomi now has to face the sternness of the Trump administration.

Xiaomi blacklisted as an alleged Chinese military company

The sad news is brought by Express.co.uk, and Xiaomi defended itself by refuting the US’s allegations. The Asian smartphone brand claims that it’s not controlled or owned by the Chinese military, nor that it’s affiliated with it. But there’s also some good news: unlike Huawei being added to the US Entity List, Xiaomi can still do business with American companies.

By responding to the US allegations, Xiaomi wrote:

The company has been in compliance with law and operating in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations of jurisdictions where it conducts its businesses. The company reiterates that it provides products and services for civilian and commercial use. The company confirms that it is not owned, controlled, or affiliated with the Chinese military, and is not a ‘Communist Chinese Military Company’ defined under the NDAA. The company will take appropriate course of actions to protect the interests of the company and its shareholders.

The company is reviewing the potential consequences of this to develop a fuller understanding of its impact on the Group. The company will make further announcements as and when appropriate.

Huawei had to deal with an increasing list of US sanctions, including some that stopped them from getting Google apps like Gmail and the Play Store on mobile devices. It’s interesting to see how the situation regarding Xiaomi will evolve.