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Huawei reportedly develops its own OS in case it can't use Android, Windows

The company apparently has backups ready if tensions with the US government continue to escalate.

Marrian Zhou Staff Reporter
Marrian Zhou is a Beijing-born Californian living in New York City. She joined CNET as a staff reporter upon graduation from Columbia Journalism School. When Marrian is not reporting, she is probably binge watching, playing saxophone or eating hot pot.
Marrian Zhou
2 min read
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Huawei has reportedly developed its own operating system. 

Wang Zhao / AFP/Getty Images

Huawei  may have a plan B in case its relationship with the US gets even rockier.

The Chinese telecom giant told German publication Die Welt that it's developed its own operating systems  for smartphones and computers in case the company can't use Google's Android or Microsoft's Windows following tensions between Huawei and the US government. The news was spotted earlier Thursday by the South China Morning Post.

"We have prepared our own operating system. Should it ever happen that we can no longer use these systems, we would be prepared. That's our plan B," said Richard Yu, mobile chief of Huawei Technologies, according to a translation of the Die Welt interview. "But of course we prefer to work with the ecosystems of Google and Microsoft."

Huawei didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

This comes as tensions between Huawei and the US government have escalated in recent months. Huawei has come under scrutiny because of its ties to the Chinese government. International tensions were heightened in December with the arrest of CFO Meng Wanzhou over alleged violations of Iran sanctions. Canada on Friday granted the US' request to extradite Meng.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in February that the US won't partner with countries that use Huawei's technology because they'd pose security threats.

Last week, Huawei fired back with a lawsuit against the US government over a ban on its telecom equipment. The suit was filed in the US District Court in the Eastern District of Texas, alleging that Congress had failed to present "any evidence" for its ban on Huawei products and equipment and was thus "unconstitutional."