Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition

Huawei displays new smartphone system

- By Joe McDonald

BEIJING — Huawei on Friday unveiled a smartphone operating system that it said can replace Google’s Android, adding to the Chinese tech giant’s efforts to insulate itself against U.S. sanctions.

The announceme­nt of HarmonyOS highlights the growing ability of Huawei, the No. 2 global smartphone brand and biggest maker of network gear for phone carriers, to create technology and reduce its reliance on U.S. vendors.

U.S. curbs imposed in May threatened Huawei’s smartphone sales by limiting access to Android and blocking Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., from supporting music and other services based on the system.

Huawei Technologi­es Ltd. wants to keep using Android, Richard Yu, CEO of its consumer device unit, said at a conference for software developers in the southern city of Dongguan.

“However, if we cannot use it in the future we can immediatel­y switch to HarmonyOS,” Yu said. He said that could be done in as little as two days if needed.

Huawei, China’s first global tech brand, is at the center of a battle between Washington and Beijing over the ruling Communist Party’s ambitions to develop companies that can compete in robotics and other fields.

The Trump administra­tion says Beijing’s efforts are based on stealing or pressuring companies to hand over technology. Washington and other trading partners say the Chinese campaign violates its free-trade obligation­s.

Washington has labeled Huawei a security threat, an accusation the company denies. Some officials also see the rise of Huawei and other Chinese tech competitor­s as a potential threat to U.S. industrial leadership.

Huawei spends about $12 billion a year on U.S. semiconduc­tor chips and other components.

 ?? FRED DUFOUR/GETTY-AFP ?? A phone shows a photo taken during Huawei’s news conference Friday unveiling its HarmonyOS operating system.
FRED DUFOUR/GETTY-AFP A phone shows a photo taken during Huawei’s news conference Friday unveiling its HarmonyOS operating system.

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