Taiwan halts sale of Huawei phones that identify self-ruled island as part of mainland China
- National Communications Commission orders firms to stop offering P30, P30 Pro and Nova 5T models because their displays include the words ‘Taiwan, China’ for time zones and contacts
- Reference impairs island’s ‘national dignity’, commission’s deputy director says
Companies were ordered to stop offering Huawei’s P30, P30 Pro and Nova 5T models from Thursday because their displays included the words “Taiwan, China” for time zones and contacts, said Peter Niou, a deputy director at the National Communications Commission in Taipei.
The reference impairs Taiwan’s “national dignity,” he said.
The move adds Huawei to the list of global brands – including Coach and Givenchy – that have had to respond to the sovereignty dispute between the self-ruled island and Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
The two fashion brands, owned by companies in the US and France, apologised to the mainland Chinese government after offering T-shirts that identified Taiwan as a country.
Displays on the smartphones started showing Taiwan, China, after a software update, Taipei-based Economic Daily News reported earlier.
Huawei and ZTE ‘cannot be trusted’, US attorney general says
The Financial Times newspaper reported that the Trump administration had asked the government to freeze the flow of chips to Huawei, which the US has accused of posing an espionage risk.
The suspension on sales of Huawei models would continue until the company changed the reference to Taiwan, Niou said.
A representative of Huawei declined to comment.
Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan’s biggest telecom company, said on Friday it would handle the case in accordance with government regulations.
