BEIJING • Chinese tech giant Huawei's reputation has been repeatedly attacked by the United States and others over allegations of Communist Party control.

Now its vaunted status at home has taken a blow over a former employee's report that he was thrown in jail for eight months on extortion charges after attempting to negotiate a severance package.

Internet users and even the state media have called the company hypocritical for having an employee arrested on what turned out to be spurious allegations, while enjoying the backing of the Chinese people and their government and taking up the mantle of national champion.

Huawei responded to the allegations by Mr Li Hongyuan, who was released without charge, by saying it had the "right and the duty" to report suspected illegal behaviour, but that it supported Mr Li's right to seek legal recourse, including by suing the company.

Among the critics of that response was Mr Hu Xijin, the outspoken editor of the Communist Party tabloid Global Times, who said Huawei's treating the incident as purely a legal affair and its refusal to apologise ignored the need to respond to public sentiment.

"I cannot but say that Huawei has this time lost 'affection'," Mr Hu, known for his hard-line defences of Chinese policies and institutions, wrote on Tuesday on his official microblog.

The Paper, an online news outlet owned by the Shanghai city government, said Huawei had trampled on "a citizen's dignity and personal freedom".

"You sue! That about sums up the feelings of the public who have waited a whole day for a response from Huawei to the Li Hongyuan case with no apology or explanation, no willingess to explain, but just sheer condescension," The Paper wrote.

ASSOCIATED PRESS