US’ electronics retailer Best Buy said to sever ties with Huawei due to security concerns

Best Buy follows US mobile-phone carriers AT&T and Verizon in distancing themselves from Huawei, which has come under scrutiny by US.

US is concerned about whether the company is too closely affiliated with the Chinese government. (REUTERS)

Best Buy Co, the large consumer electronics retailer, plans to sever ties to Chinese phone maker Huawei amid US government criticism of the phone maker, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

Best Buy follows US mobile-phone carriers AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc in distancing themselves from Huawei, which has come under scrutiny by U.S. officials concerned about whether the company is too closely affiliated with the Chinese government.

After the top two U.S. carriers decided to not go forward with Huawei devices, Huawei began selling its latest device, the Mate 10 Pro, directly to consumers, through outlets like Best Buy and Amazon.com Inc. The device is still available on Best Buy's website, but the retail giant won't purchase new supply from Huawei and will stop selling the device in the coming weeks, the person said.

A Best Buy representative declined to comment.

"Huawei currently sells its products through a range of leading consumer electronics retailers in the U.S.," the Chinese company said in a statement. "We have a proven history of delivering products that meet the highest security, privacy and engineering standards in the industry and are certified by the Federal Communications Commission for sale in the U.S."

Best Buy's plans were earlier reported by CNET.