China's Huawei has filed two lawsuits against Samsung Electronics. That's for the alleged unlicensed use of its 4G cellular communications technology, operating systems and user interface software in Samsung phones. 

The lawsuits filed in China and the United States are the first intellectual property challenges by a Chinese company against the world's top mobile maker. 

The lawsuits mark a reversal of roles. Usually Chinese companies aer sued for patent infringements. Smartphone makers have grown rapidly in recent years but different intellectual property laws outside China have slowed overseas expansion.