Huawei Heads to U.S. Trial After Eight-Year Sanctions and IP Battle 

Huawei is set to go on trial in New York this month, more than eight years after U.S. prosecutors first charged the Chinese telecom giant with sanctions violations, fraud and intellectual-property theft. Jury selection begins Tuesday, weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. Huawei has pleaded not guilty.

U.S. prosecutors accuse Huawei of operating a racketeering scheme dating back to 2007 to gain competitive advantages through fraud and other illegal conduct. Although the government recently dropped two counts, Huawei still faces up to 12 charges, including allegations of stealing trade secrets from several U.S. companies. Huawei argues that much of the alleged conduct occurred outside the U.S. and falls beyond the reach of U.S. criminal law.

The case also stems from the 2018 arrest in Canada of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou over allegations that Huawei misled banks about dealings with Iran through Hong Kong-based Skycom. Meng returned to China in 2021 after acknowledging that she had made false statements to a financial institution in exchange for the charges against her eventually being dropped. A U.S. judge has ruled that prosecutors can use her admission at Huawei’s trial.

The trial comes after years of U.S. restrictions that have limited Huawei’s access to American technology since 2019. Yet Huawei has staged a strong comeback, with revenue nearing pre-sanctions levels and its smartphone business recovering as it builds domestic supply chains and alternative technologies. A conviction could reinforce Washington’s crackdown on Chinese technology and potentially encourage other countries to tighten restrictions on Huawei.

Reference Sources

• Nikkei Asia - China's Huawei heads to trial in US over sanctions and trade secrets

China releases 5-year development plan for information, communications sector

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released a development plan for the country's information and communications industry during the 15th five-year plan period from 2026-2030.

The plan aims to promote high-quality development of the sector and establish a New-Generation communications network with comprehensive coverage and leading performance by 2030.

Additionally, efforts will be made to accelerate the development of a technologically advanced, secure, and controllable information and communications industrial system.

Additionally, an agile and efficient Governance system integrating technology and management is expected to be established, and network and data security capabilities featuring All-Domain coordination and practical application will be significantly enhanced.

The industry's empowerment level and degree of globalization will be further improved, laying a solid foundation for basically achieving modernization of the information and communications sector by 2035.

The plan also outlines 13 key indicators, including achieving information and communications industry revenue of 4.1 trillion yuan (about 604.8 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030, cumulative investment of 3.8 trillion yuan in information infrastructure, and an average annual growth rate of 7% in total telecommunications business volume.

Reference Sources

1. xinhua - China releases 5-year development plan for information, communications sector
2. xinhua - Update: China releases 5-year development plan for information, communications sector
3. xinhua - Xinhua News | China releases 5-year development plan for information, communications sector

John Ternus’s first test at Apple: selling a $2,000 foldable iPhone

Apple's John Ternus is set to unveil his first slate of new products as CEO, hoping to sell customers on two things not seen in the iPhone's two-decade history: a foldable screen and a price tag above $2,000.

The new design has been in the works for at least eight years inside the company's hardware division, until this week, led by Ternus. Outgoing CEO Tim Cook has handed his successor the opportunity to front the High-Stakes launch in his second week atop the world's second-most-valuable company.

However, the launch brings big challenges, as Apple needs customers to swallow price increases to offset cost pressures across its supply chain or take a hit to its high margins.

Foldable phones, while eye-catching, have had limited traction with consumers in the seven years since other major manufacturers brought them to market. Recent advances have improved the durability of the foldable screen while minimising the crease and lowering manufacturing costs.

Apple's Foldable device is expected to cost $2,000 or more alongside price rises across the iPhone range, according to analysts, a milestone that could test customers' tolerance.

The company is expected to stagger the launch of the base model Iphone 18 into spring of next year.

Apple is gearing up to host Its'Surprise and shine' event later this week, where it could launch its most exciting new products in years.

Reference Sources

1. ft - John Ternus’s first test at Apple: selling a $2,000 foldable iPhone
2. dailymail - Apple is hosting its 'surprise and shine' event this week where it could unveil its foldable iPhone Ultra - here's how you can watch live

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.  

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Uploaded by Ian Huang