Huawei Technologies filed a lawsuit against the US Commerce Department on Friday (June 21), challenging whether telecommunications equipment it sent from China to the United States, and then back to China, is covered by Export Administration Regulations, according to a court filing.

The lawsuit is the latest salvo in a battle between the US government and Huawei.

Washington said the Chinese company's telecommunications gear could be used by Beijing to spy. Huawei denies that is the case, quoted by “Reuters”.

For two years, US officials could not decide whether to issue a separate export license for this batch of equipment that was sent in July 2017 for testing in a California state laboratory but was subsequently withdrawn in Alaska.

"The equipment, to the best of HT USA's knowledge, remains in a bureaucratic limbo in an Alaskan warehouse," Huawei said in its lawsuit.

According to Huawei, the company has provided the American side with all the requested information about the products for which no separate license was required at that time. However, the Ministry of Commerce has not taken a decision for 20 months.

In May, the Trump administration added Huawei to the entity list, barring it from buying needed US parts and components without US government approval, wrote “The Straits Times”.

"Google" has already terminated Huawei's cooperation in areas that require the transfer of equipment, software and technical services, except those that are publicly available under an open license. In particular, the US company has deprived Huawei of access to Android OS updates that have equipped the Chinese company's smartphones.