Huawei has withdrawn as the main sponsor of the Canberra Raiders rugby league club amid a dramatic downsizing in Australia, which implemented the world’s first ban on the Chinese company selling 5G equipment.
Since the ban was announced in 2018 on national security grounds, Huawei has laid off about 1,000 of its 1,200 workers, ended A$100m ($74m) in research and development partnerships and disbanded its local board.
Huawei continues to sell mobile handsets and serve business customers but trade restrictions imposed by the US have forced the cancellation of some contracts, including a A$200m deal with Western Australia’s Public Transport Authority.