This archive report was first published on 4 November 2019.
US President Donald Trump's administration has hinted at easing restrictions on American companies selling to Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications company and second-largest smartphone maker.
According to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, licenses allowing US companies to sell to Huawei 'will be forthcoming very shortly.' This comes as the US Commerce Department has received 260 requests for licenses, with one of the applicants believed to be Google.
Granting these licenses could mean that Huawei phones will be able to ship Google Play apps and services again, at least for a short period of time. However, it's unclear which firms have applied for the special licenses, and it's also unclear whether Google will be among those granted a license.
Huawei has been at the center of a trade war between the US and China, with the US accusing the company of being a danger to US national security. The company has been placed on a blacklist that restricts US companies from selling any product to it without a license.
However, some US companies have spoken out against the policy, saying it could lead to the development of similar products from Chinese companies and threaten American technological dominance. Microsoft President Brad Smith has also expressed opposition to the decision to restrict sales of US products to Huawei.
Huawei has long been accused by US officials of working to undermine US national security and foreign policy interests. However, the company vehemently denies that it poses any threat to the United States or that it has any connection to the Chinese government.
