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US President Donald Trump said at the G20 summit in Japan on Saturday that US companies may sell their equipment to Huawei, as long as the transactions do not pose a major, national security problem, CNN reports. Huawei has been on a blacklist since May.

The US Department of Commerce decided in May this year that Huawei could no longer buy American-made products and services because of concerns about Chinese espionage through the company’s equipment.

That decision came in the middle of a trade war between the US and China. Last Saturday, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met to discuss the trade dispute, followed by the decision of the US President.

The timing of the decision is therefore striking. At the end of May Trump already suggested that the ban could become part of a trade agreement between China and the US. At that time, there was already speculation that the sanctions are only a means of exchange. Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said in May that Trump’s suggestions are a big joke.

Suppliers happy

Huawei responded to the withdrawn ban via Twitter. U-turn? Donald Trump suggests that he wants Huawei to buy American technology again! The Department of Commerce has not yet responded to questions about how this will change the status of the company.

That’s not only good news for Huawei. In recent months, American companies have also been unhappy with the ban, Trump admitted on Saturday. The US sells a huge amount of products to Huawei, according to the president. Several chip manufacturers are said to have protested against the ban.

In recent months, Google is said to have warned the White House about possible security risks. The internet giant stated that as a result of the ban, a second, more insecure version of Android might be released. Huawei indeed announced in May that its own operating system could be ready in the autumn.

Other ban

However, the ban on buying products from American companies is not the only political hurdle for Huawei. Trump also signed a presidential decree in May that prevents American companies from buying telecom equipment from Huawei.

According to officials, this ban is necessary because the use of the Chinese manufacturer’s equipment can pose a risk of espionage on Western infrastructure networks. Huawei is seen as a world leader in 5G network technology.

This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.