The United States has revoked some export licenses to Chinese tech giant Huawei, the Commerce Department said, prompting a backlash from Beijing on Wednesday.
The move came after criticism last month from Republican lawmakers, who urged President Joe Biden’s administration to block all export licenses to the company after it released a new laptop powered by a processor from US chip giant Intel.
“We are constantly evaluating how our controls can best protect our national security and foreign policy interests, taking into account an ever-changing threat environment and technology landscape,” a Commerce Department spokesman said.
“We do not comment on specific licenses, but we can confirm that we have revoked certain export licenses to Huawei,” the spokesman added in a statement to AFP.
Huawei has long been caught in a bitter technology rivalry between Beijing and Washington, which has warned that the company’s equipment could be used for Chinese espionage operations.
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The company denies these allegations.
Sanctions in 2019 that restricted Huawei’s access to US-made components dealt a major blow to smartphone production – and meant that suppliers needed permission before shipping to the company.
Asked about reports that the US government had revoked the licenses of some companies, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce said Beijing “strongly opposes this”.
“China will take all necessary measures to vigorously safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” the spokesman added.
The announcement of a new Huawei computer recently, powered by Intel technology, drew backlash from Republican lawmakers in the United States.
A letter from policymakers Marco Rubio and Elise Stefanik charged that “the licenses issued in 2020, at least some of which are still active today, have allowed Huawei to work with Intel and Qualcomm to keep the computer parts alive and her smartphones”.
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He criticized the subsidization of American technology in Huawei’s new product.
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Source: AFP