BEIJING (AP) — Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies said Tuesday that its sales rose about 18% in 2019 despite U.S. pressure to restrict its business.

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

The U.S. government says Huawei technology poses a security risk and has urged other countries not to buy its 5G mobile network equipment. Huawei denies the allegations.