US to extend license for firms dealing with Huawei : The Standard

• Reuters 19th Nov 2019 20:00:00 GMT +0300

The Trump administration is set to issue a two-week extension of a licence allowing US companies to continue doing business with China’s Huawei Technologies Company, two sources familiar with the deliberations said. The extension of around two weeks is far shorter than the prior 90-day extension and a longer extension is in the works but has not been finalised due to regulatory hurdles, said one source who was briefed on the matter. After adding Huawei to an economic blacklist in May citing national security concerns, the US Commerce Department has allowed it to purchase some US-made goods in a move aimed at minimising disruption for its customers, many of which operate networks in rural areas.

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The extension will be announced when the earlier reprieve is set to expire, the sources said, declining to be identified as the extension has not been publicly announced. A spokesman for Huawei, the world’s biggest maker of telecom network equipment, said the company does not comment on rumours and speculation. The Commerce Department declined to comment.

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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network that some rural carriers need the temporary licenses and are dependent on Huawei for 3G and 4G networks. “There are enough problems with telephone service in the rural communities - we don’t want to knock them out. So, one of the main purposes of the temporary general licenses is to let those rural guys continue to operate,” Ross said.

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The development comes amid discussions between the United States and China aimed at coming to an initial agreement to resolve a trade war that has lasted for over a year. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday Huawei and ZTE Corp “cannot be trusted.”  

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