US Government to Extend Huawei License by Two Weeks

The US government is set to make yet another two-week extension to its license targeted at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, allowing it to continue doing business with US companies for a short while, according to Reuters.

The two-week period is far shorter than the prior 90-day extension and a longer extension is currently under negotiation but has not yet been finalized due to regulatory barriers, said a source who was briefed on the matter.

After including Huawei on a trade blacklist in May citing national security concerns, the US Commerce Department has barred it from conducting business with American companies. The Chinese tech giant was previously given a 90-day extension to purchase some American-made goods and minimize the disruption the ban may incur on Huawei’s supply chain and consumers.

SEE ALSO: Huawei Rewards Staff For Staying With the Company Following US Blacklisting

Huawei founder and CEO, Ren Zhengfei, had recently stated that the company is no longer reliant on US-made components and that the US government should make decisions to cater to the interests of American companies, not Huawei.

“When the Associated Press came here, we allowed them to take pictures of every one of our circuit boards. There is not a single US component or chip on them now,” said Ren on November 6 to German media TAZ. “Adding us to the Entity List has not harmed us, but it has harmed US companies. They can keep us on the list or remove us as they like. But they should make that decision based on the interests of US companies. They don’t need to take us into account.”

The extension is set to be announced on Monday when the earlier reprieve expires, according to the Reuters’ sources.

A spokesman for Huawei, the world’s biggest maker of telecom network equipment, said the company does not comment on rumors and speculation.