Dongguan (China) (AFP)
The Chinese telecom giant Huawei, threatened to lose its access to Android because of US sanctions, Friday introduced a new operating system that must equip its mobile phones.
The system, dubbed "HarmonyOS", was introduced by executive director Richard Yu at a group conference in Dongguan (southern China). "We want to bring more harmony in the world," he said, while Huawei is placed on a blacklist by the United States, who suspect him of spying for the benefit of Beijing.
Huawei, world number two in smartphones, was trapped in May, by the twists and turns of the trade war between Beijing and Washington against a background of technological rivalry.
The firm in Shenzhen (South China) has been working since 2012 on its own operating system, initially designed for the Internet of Things.
Huawei, considered the leader of 5G technology, was blacklisted by the Trump administration, suspected of providing backdoors to Chinese intelligence services, which the group denies.
As a result, American companies are theoretically no longer allowed to sell technology products to them. But a three-month exemption period - which ends next week - was granted by Washington.
The ban also concerns Google and the supply of its Android system, which equips the vast majority of smartphones in the world, including those of Huawei.
The group has always publicly defended itself from wanting to replace its Android phones with a home operating system but claims to be constrained by US sanctions.
© 2019 AFP