Trump declares national emergency in US over IT threats

President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency to protect US computer networks from "foreign adversaries".

He signed an executive order which effectively bars US companies from using foreign telecoms believed to pose national security risks.

The order does not name any company, but is believed to target Huawei.

The Chinese tech giant said restricting its business in the US would only hurt American consumers and companies.

"Today, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled 'Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain' as part of his commitment to protecting the information and communications technology and services of our Nation," a statement issued by the White House announced.

Several countries, led by the US, have raised concerns in recent months that Huawei products could be used by China for surveillance, allegations the company has vehemently denied.

The US has been pressuring allies to shun Huawei in their next generation 5G mobile networks.

In a separate development, the US commerce department added Huawei to its "entity list", a move that bans the company from acquiring technology from US firms without government approval.

Huawei has been at the epicentre of the US-China power struggle that has dominated global politics over the past year.

It gives the secretary of commerce the power to "prohibit transactions posing an unacceptable risk to the national security", the statement adds.

The US had already restricted federal agencies from using Huawei products and has encouraged allies to shun them, while Australia and New Zealand have both blocked the use of Huawei gear in 5G networks.

The latest measure comes amidst the escalating trade spat between the US and China. Washington imposed fresh tariff hikes on Chinese imports amounting to USD 200 billion, alleging that Beijing had backed out of the trade deal as it neared fruition. In response, China announced its intent to increase tariffs on US goods entering the country starting from June 1.