NEW YORK / WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration announced last week to some Huawei suppliers that they are revoking their licenses to sell to the Chinese tech giant and expect dozens of claims others refuse to provide a telecommunications equipment supplier, people familiar with the case. told Reuters.
The action against Huawei Technologies – perhaps the last one under Republican President Donald Trump – is the latest in a long-running effort to weaken the world’s largest telecommunications equipment company , which he says poses a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
The calls came amid what the U.S. did against China in the last days of the Trump administration. Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as president on Wednesday.
A Department of Commerce spokesman did not return requests for comment immediately.
In an email that saw Reuters report on the actions, the Semiconductor Industry Association said Friday that the Commerce Department had “intentions to reject a large number of license applications for export to Huawei and revoke co-operation. at least one previous license. ” Sources familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was more than one revocation.
The email said the actions spanned a “wide range” of products in the semiconductor industry and asked companies if they had received calls.
The email noted that companies had been waiting “many months” for licensing decisions and with less than a week left in administration, tackling it was a challenge.
A spokesperson for the semiconductor group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reciting with Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper; edited by Chris Sanders and Jonathan Oatis