China’s Huawei has been served with a subpoena by the US Commerce Department investigating allegations that it may have broken US sanctions on Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
The subpoena calls for Huawei to turn over information related to shipments to those countries over the past five years.
Huawei has not yet been accused of wrongdoing. In a statement, it said that it was committed to complying with laws and regulations where it operated.
“In particular, Huawei has a strict code of conduct, rigorous training, and detailed policies relating to export control compliance and actively cooperates with the relevant government agencies, including the Department of Commerce, regarding Huawei’s compliance with export control laws,” a company spokesperson said in an email.
The investigation appears to be similar to one which ensnared ZTE, which sold equipment to the embargoed countries based on components supplied by US suppliers.
The investigation into ZTE highlighted an unnamed rival company which ZTE executives were said to be copying in their efforts to sell to the embargoed countries.
The semi-official China Daily newspaper cited an official as claiming this was a sign of US protectionism against Chinese rival companies.
