Tech war: US revoked 8 licences for exporting goods to China’s Huawei in 2024

The Biden administration is taking to new measures to thwart Huawei, which has started to rebound despite US sanctions

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The US government has revoked eight licences this year that had allowed some companies to ship goods to Huawei. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Published: 10:26am, 3 Jul 2024

The Biden administration has revoked eight licences this year that had allowed some companies to ship goods to Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei Technologies, according to a document first reported by Reuters, as it seeks to pressure the resurgent company.

The Commerce Department, which oversees US export policy, said in May it had revoked “certain” licences, as first reported by Reuters, but did not specify the name or number of suppliers that were affected. Licences for Qualcomm and Intel were among those revoked, Reuters reported at the time.

“Since the beginning of 2024, (the Commerce Department) has revoked eight additional licences involving Huawei,” the agency said in the document, prepared in response to an inquiry by Republican congressman Michael McCaul.

According to the document, licence approvals for Huawei include “exercise equipment and office furniture and low-technology components for consumer mass-market items, such as touchpad and touch-screen sensors for tablets,” which are widely available in China from Chinese and foreign sources, the Commerce Department said.

Huawei and Qualcomm did not respond to requests for comment. Intel declined to comment. A spokesperson for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which is chaired by McCaul, said it had received the data on Tuesday and is reviewing it.

The details shed new light on measures the Biden administration is taking to thwart Huawei, as the company has started to rebound despite Washington’s efforts to cripple it on national security grounds. Huawei has denied it is a security risk.