Xiaomi files legal complaint against US Defense, Treasury ban

Xiaomi filed a complaint in a Washington district court on Friday against the US Defense and Treasury Departments, seeking to remove the Chinese smartphone maker from an official list of companies with ties to China’s military, reported Reuters.

In the complaint, addressed to Biden-appointed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Xiaomi called the judgment “unlawful and unconstitutional” and said the company was not controlled by the People’s Liberation army.

It added that the investment restrictions, which go into effect on March 15, 2020, would cause “immediate and irreparable harm to Xiaomi,” reported Reuters.

It added that a “substantial number” of its shareholders were US persons, and noted three of its top-ten holders of ordinary shares were US institutional investment groups.