Japan's Panasonic would stop supplying some components to Huawei. AFP
Japan's Panasonic said on Thursday it would stop supplying some components to Huawei, joining a growing list of firms distancing themselves from the Chinese telecoms giant after a US ban over security concerns.
Japan’s Toshiba also announced it was temporarily halting shipments to Huawei to check whether US-made parts were involved, in order to comply with Washington’s new restrictions.
The moves came a day after major Japanese and British mobile carriers said they would delay releasing new Huawei handsets, upping the pressure on the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer.
In an official statement, Panasonic said it had announced in an “internal notification” that it would “suspend transactions with Huawei and its 68 affiliates that were banned by the US government”.
It declined to comment on “other transactions that are not banned by the US”.
Asked about its opinion about the news, Huawei pointed to a statement on Panasonic’s Chinese website that said the firm was supplying Huawei “normally” and doing so “strictly abiding by the relevant laws and regulations of countries and regions where Panasonic is present”.
Washington’s restrictions affect products made fully or partially in the US, where Panasonic manufactures some of its components.
Toshiba meanwhile said it had temporarily halted shipments to Huawei while it checks if they include US-made parts.
“We will resume shipments if we confirm our products don’t use American-made parts,” spokesman Takashi Ebina said.
On Wednesday, mobile carriers in Japan and Britain said they were delaying releases of Huawei handsets.
Telecoms giant EE, owned by BT, had been due to bring Huawei’s first 5G phone, the Huawei Mate 20X, to Britain, but CEO Marc Allera said on Wednesday the company had “paused” the launch.
The group also said it would phase out the use of Huawei equipment in the most sensitive “core” elements of its network infrastructure.
Vodafone soon followed suit, announcing a temporary suspension of pre-orders for Huawei handsets.
And the BBC reported British firm ARM, which designs processors used in most mobile devices, would also cut ties with Huawei.
In Japan, KDDI and SoftBank Corp, the country’s number-two and number-three carriers respectively, said they were delaying the release of Huawei handsets.
And the country’s top carrier said it would suspend pre-orders for a new phone from the Chinese firm.
