The administration of US President Joe Biden is exploring the possibility of revoking technology export licenses for Chinese telecommunications company Huawei Technologies Co. On Tuesday, February 28, writes The Wall Street Journal, citing sources.
The publication notes that we are talking about licenses issued to US suppliers for the sale of technology to a Chinese company. The American authorities believe that with the help of Huawei technology, the Chinese government can engage in economic espionage in the United States. In this regard, the revocation of licenses is explained by considerations of national security, the publication clarifies.
The article highlights that actions aimed at combating the export of Chinese technology could be part of a broader list of measures to tighten trade in the technology sector. However, the withdrawal of licenses could be a serious blow to US chip makers, many of which sell older generations of mobile phone microprocessors to Huawei. Therefore, US manufacturers are criticizing government proposals and warning of a likely decline in industry revenues and reduced spending on new research.
The publication recalls that back in 2019, Huawei fell into the restrictive list of the US Department of Commerce. After that, American exporters were required to obtain special licenses for Huawei sales. At the same time, from November to April 2021, the Ministry of Trade approved export licenses in the amount of $61.4 billion.
In December 2022, it was reported that US lawmakers had developed a sanctions bill against the Chinese company Huawei and PRC companies in the field of 5G technologies. Among other things, they intend to deprive them of access to the US banking system.
In October of that year, the U.S. Justice Department accused two Chinese intelligence officials of collaborating with Huawei to obstruct a federal government investigation into the company. At the same time, the FBI reported that Huawei devices were found on cell towers near several US nuclear missile bases and that the signals from these towers could interfere with the US nuclear arsenal.
The United States and its allies have been accusing the Chinese company of spying since 2018. In March 2019, the German Federal Intelligence Service warned the authorities against using Huawei equipment. The same conclusions were reached in the Czech Republic.
Since the end of 2018, a top manager of a Chinese company has been in Canada under house arrest pending extradition to the United States. U.S. authorities believed she had deceived the British bank HSBC by lying about Huawei’s dealings in Iran, thereby exposing the largest British bank to the risk of violating U.S. sanctions. She later agreed to a deal with the US Department of Justice, which led to her promptly returning home, accompanied by the Chinese ambassador to Canada.
