Why is Huawei so controversial?

For China, Huawei is a source of national pride – it’s even written into the company’s name.

For the United States and many Western nations, however, the tech giant is a spying tool for the Chinese government.

The US says Huawei poses a security threat and is pressuring allies in Europe and Asia to ban its products.

But Huawei is fighting back.

It’s suing the US government for not allowing its workers to buy Huawei equipment and services.

While in Canada, the company is fighting the extradition of one of its top executives, who is accused of conspiring to violate US sanctions on Iran.

What’s really behind the controversy surrounding Huawei?

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests: 

Andrew Leung – Independent China analyst and research fellow at Beijing Normal University

Richard Goodstein – Lawyer and Democratic political consultant

Marc Einstein – Chief analyst for digital services at ITR Japan, a technology research firm