US Halts New Licenses For Export To Huawei

The Biden administration has halted the provision of licenses for US companies to export technology to Huawei, as it moves closer to imposing a total ban on the sale of American technology to the Chinese telecom equipment maker.

According to the Financial Times, the commerce department has sent notification to various companies to let them know that it would not longer grant export licenses to sell American technology to Huawei – which US national security officials believe helps China engage in espionage.

The move comes after the Trump administration imposed severe restrictions on exports to the Chinese telecom giant, placing it on the “entity list,” however the commerce department had still been granting licenses to various companies for products that were unrelated to 5G telecom networks.

The move comes as Washington steps up efforts to work with allies to slow China’s push to develop cutting-edge technology such semiconductors that are used in artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons. The US last week reached a trilateral deal with Japan and the Netherlands that would impose restrictions on companies in those countries exporting certain chip-making equipment to China. -FT

In October, the Biden administration imposed unilateral restrictions on the export of semiconductor manufacturing tools. 

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