The US government claims to have withdrawn certain licenses that permitted US chip manufacturers to ship specific products to Huawei, a massive Chinese technology company.
The Department of Commerce did not say whose permits were revoked, but the action came after Huawei unveiled an AI-capable computer that ran on an Intel CPU. Because of Huawei’s purported links to the Chinese military, the US has prohibited it from exporting technology, including computer chips, since 2019.
The Commerce Department stated in a statement on Tuesday, “We have revoked certain licenses for exports to Huawei,” although it did not specify which licenses were affected. Following the release of Huawei’s MateBook X Pro laptop last month, a few US legislators criticized President Joe Biden’s administration.
Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik stated on social media, “Make no mistake, the Biden Administration would not have taken this action if Republicans in Congress were not holding them accountable.”
US trade restrictions have severely hurt Huawei, but it looks like the company is making a return recently. The August release of the Mate 60 Pro smartphone marked the beginning of the Chinese company’s comeback.
Under Donald Trump’s administration in 2019, US officials added Huawei to a list known as the “entity list.”
