FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia, May 14, 2019. Pavel Golovkin/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kept up U.S. pressure on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on Wednesday, saying the Chinese tech giant takes orders from Beijing.

“Huawei is an instrument of the Chinese government,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox Business Network. “They’re deeply connected. It’s something that’s hard for Americans to understand.”

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd filed a motion late on Tuesday for summary judgment in its lawsuit against the U.S. government, the telecoms equipment maker’s latest bid to fight sanctions from Washington that threaten to push it out of global markets.

Pompeo did not comment on the lawsuit in the interview, which was taped on Tuesday, but highlighted what the U.S. government says is the company’s threat to national security.

“Our companies cooperate with the United States government. That is, they comply with our laws. But no president directs an American private company. That’s very different in China. They just simply operate under a different set of a rules.”

Huawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.