Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest supplier of telecom network gear, faces a New York racketeering trial on charges including theft of trade secrets, wire and bank fraud, and plotting to steal U.S. trade secrets.

Prosecutors allege a decades-long scheme to expand Huawei’s global footprint, involving intellectual property theft, sanctions violations related to Iran, and deceiving major banks about Iran-related ties.

The indictment also accuses Huawei and subsidiaries of operating in North Korea despite U.S. sanctions and of installing surveillance equipment aiding Iran during the 2009 protests.

Jury selection began recently, with the judge urging fairness and caution not to conflate broader geopolitical issues with the case.

The case sits in the context of broader tensions since Huawei’s 2018 CFO Meng Wanzhou arrest and years of U.S.-China-Canada diplomatic frictions, including the 2019 U.S. blacklist of Huawei.

The trial is expected to last about three months, with potential timing overlapping a high-level meeting between Xi Jinping and the U.S. president; prospective jurors faced lengthy questionnaires on views about China and Iran.

The U.S. crackdown on Huawei began under the Trump administration, highlighting national security concerns and alliances against Huawei in next-generation networks; charges were initially announced in 2019 and have since expanded.

U.S. actions against Huawei during the Trump era emphasized national security concerns and urged allies to avoid Huawei in advanced networks, with ongoing expanded charges since 2019.

Huawei contends the U.S. government is engaging in economic bullying and using national security as a pretext to oppress Chinese firms.

Reuters notes Skycom previously offered embargoed HP equipment to Iran’s largest mobile operator, with Meng Wanzhou serving on Skycom’s board in 2008–2009.

U.S. prosecutors previously charged Huawei and Meng Wanzhou over Iran dealings via Skycom; Meng was arrested in Canada in 2018 and released in 2021 in a deal where extradition and fraud charges were dropped.

Under the deal, the U.S. dropped its extradition request and dismissed fraud charges against Meng Wanzhou, who faced fraud accusations for allegedly misleading HSBC about Iran dealings.