The founder of Huawei says the Chinese tech giant is moving its U.S. research centre to Canada due to American restrictions on its activities.

In an interview with Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper, Ren Zhengfei said the restrictions would prevent Huawei from interacting with American employees.

Huawei is one of the biggest global makers of smartphones and network gear for phone companies. The U.S. government accuses the company of being a security risk, which Huawei denies, and announced curbs in May on access to American components and technology.

Ren gave no details of how many jobs might be affected. Huawei operates a research and development centre in Silicon Valley in California but confirmed in June it was cutting jobs following the U.S. sanctions.