China’s CCTV features Daily Show report on Huawei lead in 5G

China‘s latest media broadside in its tariffs war with the United States features an unlikely star: Trevor Noah of the Daily Show.

A clip from Noah’s “If you don’t know, now you know” segment on Chinese equipment maker Huawei’s dominance in 5G mobile technology ran on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV’s national lunchtime news on Monday.

It was among a series of stories attacking the US stance in their trade standoff.

Washington has targeted Huawei, the top world supplier of telecom gear and number two smartphone maker, as a security threat in a broader conflict over trade and technology.

This means that, without the permission of the US government, Huawei will not be able to buy products such as chips from US companies.

Pointedly, the clip from Noah’s Daily Show ran by CCTV highlighted Huawei’s lead in 5G technology but did not include parts of the segment featuring concerns over China’s potential ability to spy using Huawei-equipped 5G networks.

CCTV anchor Gu Guoning said Noah “expressed his views on the United States’ repeated crackdown on Huawei”. “The US is cracking down on Huawei because Huawei has advanced 5G technology. But 5G technology in the US falls far behind.”

In the same broadcast, the founder of Huawei said he is prepared for a “protracted battle” amid the ongoing trade dispute.

Ren Zhengfei also said the company was on the “right side” of the case of his daughter’s arrest in Canada as she awaits extradition hearings.

On December 1, 2018, at the request of the US, Canadian authorities had detained Meng Wanzhou when she was transferring flights in Vancouver. She is the vice president of Huawei and global CFO of the company.

“We’re on the right side. It was quite a stir. Canada’s biggest newspapers wrote on their front pages the headline that the Meng Wanzhou case is a typical national violation of laws,” Ren said.

“There is the possibility this may become long-lasting. We’ve prepared for a protracted battle, not for a short one. Maybe, we will become stronger through the long-term fight. After we go through the break-in period of our products, we may become stronger,” he added.