Trump reportedly green lighted some US firms to do business with Huawei ahead of US-China trade talks

ALEX EDELMAN/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump gave the green light to approve licenses allowing some US companies to do business with Huawei, the New York Times reported.

• The Trump administration will reportedly grant licenses to American companies to do business with Huawei, likely as a gesture of goodwill ahead of US-China trade talks this week.
• President Trump gave the go ahead last week to allow some US firms to supply non-sensitive goods to the blacklisted Chinese telecoms titan, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
• The green light may be largely symbolic, as US firms have still supplied goods to Huawei in recent months by producing them overseas or not labeling them as American-made, The Times reported.
• Visit Markets Insider's homepage for more stories.

  ---

The Trump administration will reportedly grant licenses to American companies to do business with Huawei, likely as a gesture of goodwill ahead of US-China trade talks this week.

President Trump gave the go -head last week to allow some US firms to supply nonsensitive goods to the blacklisted Chinese telecoms titan, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The Commerce Department has received more than 130 license applications but hadn't granted any of them as of late August, Reuters reported.

Trump's administration barred trade with Huawei and dozens of its partners in May, accusing them of spying for the Chinese government and posing a risk to national security. The ban prevented US companies such as Google from selling components and providing software updates to Huawei without government approval. However, the prospect of mass disruption led the administration to grant a temporary reprieve to give Huawei's suppliers and users more time to source substitute products and services.

The green light may be largely symbolic, as US firms have still supplied goods to Huawei in recent months by producing them overseas or not labeling them as American-made, the Times reported. The move may be intended to ease tensions between the US and China, as senior officials from both nations are meeting this week in an attempt to strike a trade deal.

The policy shift wasn't official at the time of writing. The Commerce Department told the Times, "as of right this moment, the status quo holds."