Strong concerns from China after the United States leaked the leak that Washington is considering the possibility of completely divesting Huawei from American suppliers, cutting off all sales to the Chinese giant, which has been suspected of having ties to Beijing and China for some time China’s army would be effectively banned, a move dictated by fears for national security.
China accuses Washington of striving for “technological hegemony” and, in the words of State Department spokesman Mao Ning, “strongly opposes the US generalization of the concept of national security, the abuse of state power and the improper suppression of Chinese companies.” . This practice, he added, is “clear technological hegemony” and China “will continue to steadfastly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
The US Department of Commerce told US companies yesterday that it would stop licensing US technology exports to Huawei amid a new US crackdown on technology exports to China, the Financial Times reported. , which comes just days after the expected first visit to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, not yet confirmed by Beijing.
Sales by American companies to Huawei have been limited since 2019, since Donald Trump required US companies to license them to sell devices to the Chinese giant. But the old “ban” hasn’t affected some less advanced technological components so far.
Essentially, the Biden administration is now considering further restricting the Chinese tech giant’s ability to buy critical components from U.S. suppliers, which some industry insiders say could limit Huawei’s access to processor chips and other other technologies.
The previous ban on the sale of advanced US chips and Google services that power the Android operating system has crippled Huawei’s smartphone business, which previously appeared as an unstoppable tech giant that is now, after a few years, undermining Apple and Samsung in the general public’s consciousness it has almost become a faded memory.
After initial setbacks, Huawei sold its budget smartphone brand, Honor, to boost sales by freeing itself from sanctions against its parent company. The company then promptly removed US components from its devices and opened up new lines of business to corporate, driverless car, and other industrial customers in hopes that those sectors would remain less vulnerable to US pressures.
Huawei said in its recent statements that its business is gradually recovering. “In 2020, we successfully emerged from crisis mode,” Eric Xu, one of three Huawei executives who serve as rotating presidents at the company, said in a letter to employees in December. “US restrictions are now our new normal and we’re getting back to business as usual.”