In 2024, the Biden administration has revoked eight licenses that allowed certain companies to export goods to Huawei, the Chinese telecom equipment giant, according to a document initially reported by Reuters. These licenses, including those issued to Qualcomm and Intel, were rescinded as part of ongoing efforts to restrict Huawei’s access to U.S. technology. The Commerce Department, responding to inquiries from Republican Congressman Michael McCaul, confirmed these actions but did not specify the affected suppliers.
The revoked licenses covered a range of goods such as exercise equipment, office furniture, and components for consumer electronics, which are readily available from various sources in China. Despite these measures, Huawei has continued to rebound, driven partly by strong sales of smartphones and advancements in its smart car component business.
Since being added to a U.S. trade restriction list in 2019 over national security concerns, Huawei has faced stringent export controls. Suppliers seeking to sell to Huawei must navigate a complex process to obtain special licenses, which have been issued under policies initiated during the Trump administration. From 2018 to 2023, the Commerce Department approved licenses totaling $335 billion, out of $880 billion in total applications to sell to Chinese entities on the entity list. Notably, $222 billion of these approvals came in 2021, Biden’s first year in office, underscoring the evolving regulatory landscape surrounding Huawei and U.S.-China trade relations.
