A senior US official told the Commerce Department’s enforcement staff this week that China’s Huawei should still be treated as blacklisted, days after Donald Trump sowed confusion with a vow to ease a ban on sales to the firm.
“TRADE RELATIONS SHOULD IMPROVE”
Trump surprised markets on Saturday by promising Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan that he would allow US companies to sell products to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.
In May, the company was added to the so-called Entity List, which bans American firms from selling to it without special permission, as punishment for actions against US national security interests.
Trump’s announcement on Saturday – an olive branch to Beijing to revive stalled trade talks – was cheered by US chipmakers eager to maintain sales to Huawei, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker and a key US customer.
But Trump’s comments also spawned confusion among industry players and government officials struggling to understand what Huawei policy he had unveiled.