Washington takes a very dim view of the close relationship between Huawei and the Chinese government. While the manufacturer is already blacklisted, the Biden administration no longer grants export licenses that still allowed it to trade with American manufacturers.
Accused of spying for Beijing, Huawei has had to contend with US sanctions in recent years. And despite the change of presidency, the pressure continues on the manufacturer. Already in February 2021, the Biden administration claimed that there was no reason to lift the sanctions against Huawei. And Washington intends to go even further. According to several American media, the United States plans to completely cut ties between the United States and the Chinese brand.
Until then, the Chinese giant still had a little leeway to acquire certain components across the Atlantic (excluding 5G). To do business with Huawei, an American company had to obtain a license agreement from the US government. A system that has notably enabled the brand to obtain Intel processors or Qualcomm 4G chips for its products.
Will Huawei be totally expelled from the United States?
But Washington is seeking to tighten the screw even more. According to Reuters, the Biden administration has stopped approving licenses allowing exports to Huawei. Some officials are even advocating for the revocation of licenses already granted, according to sources cited by Bloomberg. Which would mean a ban on all sales to the Chinese telecommunications giant. However, discussions are still in their infancy. A possible change in policy could thus be decreed next May.
The decision was strongly criticized by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning. The latter believes that she “goes against the principles of the market economy and the rules of international trade and finance, undermines the confidence that the international community has in the American commercial environment and constitutes a flagrant technological hegemony”.
This decision comes in a tense geopolitical context. Last October, the US Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security said: “We do everything in our power to protect our national security and prevent sensitive technologies with military applications from being acquired by the military, intelligence and security services of the People’s Republic of China”.
