Huawei Technologies, a prominent Chinese tech firm, is set to face a criminal racketeering trial in New York, where it is accused of stealing technology, plotting to steal U.S. trade secrets, and committing wire and bank fraud, among other crimes.

Jury selection commenced on Tuesday afternoon, with opening statements not anticipated to take place until Wednesday at the very earliest.

The indictment alleges that, in addition to stealing trade secrets, Huawei and some of its subsidiaries conducted business in North Korea despite U.S. sanctions, and installed surveillance equipment that helped Iran spy on protesters during the 2009 anti-government demonstrations.

Huawei's lawyers have sought to have the broad criminal case thrown out, contending in court documents that the U.S. accusations were overly vague and improperly aimed at extending American jurisdiction overseas.

The company asserted in a statement that the account put forward by U.S. prosecutors is "demonstrably false."

"Long-term investment in innovation, supported by strong respect for intellectual property, has been the key driver of Huawei's business success," the company said.

Huawei is the world's leading provider of wireless telecom network equipment, but it is barred from selling its products to U.S. carriers due to concerns about security risks.

Other Western allies, such as Canada and Britain, have also placed the company on their blacklists.

The company manufactures phones and other consumer electronics, yet it has been precluded from diversifying into alternative business ventures.

More recently, it has branched out into semiconductor production, as the surge in artificial intelligence has intensified demand for microprocessors.

During President Donald Trump's first term, his administration voiced national security concerns about Huawei and started urging Western allies to keep the company's products out of their next-generation high-speed wireless networks.

The U.S. brought criminal charges in early 2019 and has since widened the allegations.

Chinese officials asserted that the U.S. government has resorted to “economic bullying” and has improperly invoked national security as a pretext for “oppressing Chinese companies.”

U.S. prosecutors accused Huawei of utilizing a Hong Kong-based shell company, Skycom, to supply equipment to Iran, thereby contravening U.S. sanctions.

Additionally, they indicted its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on fraud charges, alleging that she deceived HSBC bank regarding the company's commercial activities in Iran.

Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, was arrested in Canada in late 2018 following a U.S. extradition request, but was released in September 2021 as part of a high-stakes prisoner swap that freed two Canadians held by China and allowed her to return home.

As part of the agreement, the United States withdrew its extradition request and indicated that it would drop the fraud charges leveled against Meng.

Huawei, the foremost manufacturer of networking equipment, found it increasingly difficult to sustain its market share amid sanctions that curtailed its access to the majority of U.S. processor chips and associated technologies.

These restrictions compelled the company to intensify its independent development of semiconductors and other cutting-edge technologies.