The Trump administration on Wednesday gave Huawei its second reprieve this week, allowing some suppliers to restart sales to the Chinese telecoms giant after it was placed on a trade black list over national security concerns six months ago.
The Commerce Department said it has begun issuing licenses for some companies to sell goods to Huawei, expanding the company’s supplier base and providing long-awaited clarity to the industry that once sold it billions of dollars worth of goods.
It was not immediately clear which products had been approved for sale to the world’s top telecommunications equipment maker. But Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, also the second-largest smartphone maker, has been anxiously awaiting a license for Alphabet Inc’s Google to supply its mobile services to new models. Google declined to comment.
“The White House isn’t ready to pull the plug on Huawei because that would do almost as much harm to U.S. companies,” said James Lewis, a technology expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But they’re keeping it in reserve,” he added.