A US judge on Friday ordered Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi temporarily removed from a government blacklist barring American investment in the company.

Six days before Donald Trump left office last year, his administration cemented its trade war legacy against Beijing with a series of announcements targeting Chinese firms including Xiaomi, state oil giant CNOOC, and social media darling TikTok.

Xiaomi was one of nine firms classified by the Pentagon as "Communist Chinese military companies."

But US District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington ruled Friday the Departments of Defense and Treasury "have not made the case that the national security interests at stake here are compelling."

He issued a preliminary injunction removing Xiaomi from the blacklist and suspending the ban on US investors buying the company's securities.

In an appeal filed in January against its blacklisting, Xiaomi -- which overtook Apple last year to become the world's third-largest smartphone manufacturer -- said Washington's moves were "incorrect" and had "deprived the company of legal due process."

Contreras's decision came the same day US regulators listed Huawei and ZTE among Chinese telecom gear firms deemed a threat to national security, signalling that a hoped-for softening of relations is not on the cards.

Huawei chief and founder Ren Zhengfei last month called for a reset with the United States under President Joe Biden, after the firm was battered by sanctions imposed by Trump's administration.

The telecoms giant has been at the center of the Sino-American rivalry in recent years, against a backdrop of a trade and technology war between the superpowers.

Washington claims Huawei has close ties to China's military and that Beijing could use its equipment for espionage -- accusations the company denies.

Huawei listed anew as threat to US national security
San Francisco (AFP) March 13, 2021 - US regulators on Friday listed Huawei among Chinese telecom gear firms deemed a threat to national security, signalling that a hoped for softening of relations is not in the cards.

A roster of communications companies thought to pose "an unacceptable risk" to national security included Huawei Technologies; ZTE; Hytera Communications; Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, and Dahua Technology.

"This list is a big step toward restoring trust in our communications networks," said Federal Communications Commission acting chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

"This list provides meaningful guidance that will ensure that as next-generation networks are built across the country, they do not repeat the mistakes of the past or use equipment or services that will pose a threat to US national security or the security and safety of Americans."

The five Chinese companies that provide communications equipment or services were on a roster compiled by the FCC and the Homeland Security Bureau as per US law.

Huawei chief and founder Ren Zhengfei last month called for a reset with the United States under President Joe Biden, after the firm was battered by sanctions imposed by Donald Trump's administration.

In his first appearance before journalists in a year, Ren Zhengfei said his "confidence in Huawei's ability to survive has grown" despite its travails across much of the western world where it is maligned as a potential security threat.

The comments came as the firm struggled under rules that have effectively banned US firms from selling it technology such as semiconductors and other critical components, citing national security concerns.

Insisting that Huawei remained strong and ready to buy from US companies, Ren called on the Biden White House for a "mutually beneficial" change of tack that could restore its access to the goods.

Continuing to do so, he warned, would hurt US suppliers.

Founded by Ren in 1987, Huawei largely flew under the global radar for decades as it became the world's largest maker of telecoms equipment and a top mobile phone producer.

That changed under former president Donald Trump, who targeted the firm as part of an intensifying China-US trade and technology standoff.

Trump from 2018 imposed escalating sanctions to cut off Huawei's access to components and bar it from the US market, while he also successfully pressured allies to shun the firm's gear in their telecoms systems.

Ren also has had to deal with the December 2018 arrest of his daughter, Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, on a US warrant during a Vancouver stopover.

Meng, 49, faces fraud and conspiracy charges in the United States over alleged Huawei violations of US sanctions against Iran, and separate charges of theft of trade secrets.

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