Huawei hit by US export controls

The White House and US Department of Commerce have issued an executive order apparently aimed at banning Chinese tech giant Huawei’s equipment from US networks and said it was subjecting the Chinese company to strict export controls which could prevent it from buying semiconductors from US suppliers that are crucial for its production.

The US Department of Commerce said it would put Huawei on its so-called Entity List, meaning that the American companies will have to obtain a licence from the US government to sell technology to Huawei.

The executive order declares a national economic emergency that empowers the US government to ban the technology and services of “foreign adversaries” deemed to pose “unacceptable risks” to national security — including from cyber espionage and sabotage.

While it does not name specific countries or companies, it follows months of US pressure on Huawei. It gives the Commerce Department 150 days to come up with regulations.

In response, China’s government has criticised Washington for imposing such controls.

"We urge the United States to stop the wrong approach," said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Lu Kang. He criticized “abuse of export control measures” and said Beijing will take “further measures
to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese
enterprises” but gave no details.