Some Huawei suppliers get US approval to restart sales to blacklisted firm

The US government said on Wednesday it has begun issuing licences for some companies to supply goods to China’s blacklisted telecommunications firm Huawei, providing long-awaited clarity to the industry.

Companies began receiving notices of approval and “intent to deny” notices from the Commerce Department on Wednesday, two industry sources said, as US President Donald Trump seeks to close a partial trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It was not immediately clear which products had been approved for sale, but the move granted much-needed certainty to US companies that last year made billions of dollars in sales to Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker.

Huawei, also the second largest smartphone maker, has been anxiously awaiting a licence for Google to supply its Android mobile operating system as it launches new models.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network late on Tuesday that the department has “had 290-something requests for specific licences. We now have been starting to send out the 20-day intent to deny letters and some approvals.”

The responses come as the Trump administration works to sign a phase one trade deal with China to end a tit-for-tat trade war that has roiled markets and hit global growth.

The Trump administration put Huawei on a trade blacklist, citing national security concerns in May after trade talks broke down. Companies on the list are not allowed to receive shipments of US goods without a special licence from the Commerce Department.

But in June, US President Donald Trump said some sales would be allowed to the company, and US officials urged firms to apply for licences, noting that they would be granted in cases where the items were readily available and did not compromise national security.

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But until Wednesday, there had been no responses on the licence requests, except periodic renewals of the so-called temporary general licence, which allows for limited transactions to assist some US rural network operators.

The United States has a case pending against Huawei over allegations Huawei violated US sanctions on Iran. The administration has also lobbied US allies to keep Huawei out of next-generation 5G telecommunications infrastructure.