There have been various reports in the Chinese press that Huawei is developing its own mobile operating system, to reduce its reliance on Google and Android. This has been widely reported as a response to the recent escalation of trade tensions between the US and China, though in reality, Huawei has been living with virtual exclusion from the US market for years now – and has been reported to be developing its own smartphone OS since 2012. But perhaps the current tensions will accelerate its efforts, and spur the wider Chinese effort to achieve technological self-sufficiency. The vendor played down the rumors, saying it had no such plans “for the foreseeable future”, but the fact remains that it has been…