iPhone is everywhere but some Americans believe Huawei threat to national security: China

After the US banned its companies to trade with China's ZTE Corporation for seven years citing that it broke settlement agreement with false statement, the Chinese government hit back saying the US was "suppressing" China's technological development under the "guise of national security."

ZTE which is China's second largest telecom equipment maker said it regards compliance as the cornerstone of its strategy.

"Refusal orders will not only seriously endanger the survival of ZTE, but also hurt the interests of all ZTE's partners including a large number of US companies," the company said in a statement.

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The Chinese foreign office spokesman Hua Chunying said the US frequently takes national security protection as an "excuse"and sets up restrictions on China-US trade and investment in high technology.

"US blamed China for forcing American enterprises to transfer technologies. Then it also claimed that China's high technology development threats its security. In the end, I think this only exposes the US hegemonic mentality featuring 'no others can own it except me'," China's foreign office spokesman said.

In China, there was an outpouring of support for ZTE on its social media even as the local media put the blame on the country's reliance on foreign semiconductors.

"You live in China and you can see that products like iPhone can be seen everywhere. We don't regard this as threats. However in the US, if someone buys Huawei, for some Americans, this is very serious, even can threat the national security," Chunying said, adding,"as the superpower and scientific and technological power, is the US so vulnerable now?"'

The development has already made matters worse over trade issues after US president Donald Trump last month imposed tariffs worth $60 billion on Chinese imports.

China hit back with retaliatory tariffs on US soybeans, cars and airplanes, however, it is still unclear when it would be imposed with several experts on both sides of the view that the dispute will be settled on the bargaining table.