NY Times: US to Issue Licenses for Supply of Non-Sensitive Goods to Huawei

The United States will soon issue licenses allowing some U.S. companies to supply non-sensitive goods to Chinese telecoms gear maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the New York Times said on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Huawei has been put on a U.S. trade blacklist since mid-May over U.S. national security concerns and Washington has accused it of abetting spying, which the Chinese company has denied.

The blacklisting banned Huawei from buying parts and components from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval, limiting its access to essential technologies such as Google Mobile Services.

U.S. companies can seek a license for specific products to be exempted from the ban. The U.S. Commerce Department has received more than 130 applications from companies for licenses to sell U.S. goods to Huawei, Reuters reported in August.

President Donald Trump's administration gave the green light last week to start approving licenses for a few American companies, to bypass the curbs it put on the Chinese equipment maker this year, the paper said.

Huawei and the U.S. Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The move comes as the two countries are set to meet later this week in Washington for talks to end their 15-month trade war, and tensions mounted after U.S. administration expanded its blacklist on Monday by adding 28 Chinese entities including top artificial intelligence startups.