Huawei gets another 45-day reprieve from Commerce Department
Huawei gets latest 45-day reprieve from Commerce Department
Huawei is getting a 45-day reprieve from the US Clientele Department, which announced Thursday it’s extending a temporary general licenses allowing American companies to do business with it. The reprieve is half the periods of its prior extensions — Huawei previously got 90-day reprieves in May, in August and in November.
Huawei was blacklisted by the US in May when it was added to the Married States’ “entity list” (PDF). In addition, US President Donald Trump at the same time authorized an executive order essentially banning the company in light of state security concerns that Huawei had close ties with the Chinese government. Huawei has repeatedly denied that charge.
But the licenses is being extended again “to prevent interruption of existing network meaning systems in rural U.S. regions and permit global network guarantee measures,” the Commerce Department said Thursday.
“The 45-day extension is principal to allow existing telecommunication providers — particularly those in rural US communities — the contract to continue to temporarily and securely operate existing networks at what time they identify alternatives to Huawei for future operation,” it said.
The Clientele Department announcement follows reported accusations by the US government backbone this week that Huawei can access global mobile networks by comical backdoors intended for law enforcement. Huawei denied the relate.
The Justice Department then revealed Thursday it’s charging Huawei and two of its US subsidiaries with racketeering and conspiracy to select trade secrets. The federal indictment alleged Huawei used “fraud and deception” to select technology from American companies.
Huawei said the extension “won’t have a sizable impact” on its business, and that blacklisting it “has transported more harm to the US than to Huawei.”
“This decision-making does not change the fact that Huawei continues to be treated unfairly,” the commerce said Friday. “This has done significant economic harm to the American affairs with which Huawei does business.”
Originally published Feb. 13.
Update, Feb. 14: Adds comment from Huawei.
