China accused Washington of damaging global trade with sanctions that threaten to cripple tech giant Huawei and said Tuesday it will protect Chinese companies but gave no indication of possible retaliation.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement a day after the British government said it would ban Huawei from its 5G networks over concerns that sensitive data could be compromised by the China and the Chinese Communist Party.

The estimate came in an annual New Year's message to employees from chairman Eric Xu. The letter predicted 2020 would be a difficult year, saying the American pressure creates a challenging environment for Huawei to survive and thrive.