At the G20 summit yesterday, US President Donald Trump stated that Huawei was now allowed to purchase tech from the country's suppliers once again. This news came as a surprise to many, since the Chinese company had only been added to the US Department of Commerce's 'Entity List' last month, effectively banning it from engaging in any sort of trade with US companies without government approval.
Now, Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow has clarified that the lifting of the ban only applies to products that are widely available around the world.
Speaking to Fox News today, Kudlow emphasized that national security concerns would remain at the forefront, and that this move shouldn't be considered as general amnesty. "There are a lot of technology services, telecom-related services, that really, you can find on general markets, and we don't think have any national security implications", he noted.
Furthermore, addressing Republican Senators' concerns regarding Trump's stance, he said that Huawei won't be removed from the "so-called" Entity List, and that licenses won't be granted for any services that might raise security issues. Instead, only US commodities that are widely available and can be obtained from other countries will be allowed to be purchased. As an example, Kudlow mentioned products being sold by US chipmakers.
The White House official said that major concerns surrounding Huawei still existed, and that this license to purchase should only be regarded as temporary. "We will fully address Huawei, not until the end of the trade talks", he insisted. As such, the future of Huawei in the United States still remains shrouded in doubt.
Source: Fox News (YouTube) via Reuters
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