Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of smartphones, said Friday it has filed a lawsuit against Huawei Technologies Co. in China, accusing the Chinese firm of infringing on Samsung's six patents related to mobile phones and digital images.

The move is seen as a countermeasure against Huawei after the Chinese electronics firm sued Samsung in May in the United States and China over patent infringements.

In a statement, Samsung criticized Huawei's smartphones and tablets for infringing on its patents for mobile communications technology, data storage for images and others.

Samsung also accused Huawei of filing "irrational" patent suits against it.

Huawei is the world's third-largest maker of smartphones after Samsung and Apple.

Samsung sold 81.18 million smartphone units around the globe in the first quarter of the year, taking up 23.2 percent of the total, followed by Apple Inc. with 14.8 percent and Huawei with 8.3 percent. (Yonhap)