White House official: New sales to China’s Huawei to cover only widely available goods – Reuters
What happened: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that American companies would be permitted to resume sales to Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, which National Economic Council chairman Larry Kudlow clarified on Sunday, saying that the sales would only apply to products widely available around the world. National security remained paramount, he added. The partial lifting of restrictions on Huawei was a key element of the agreement reached over the weekend between China and the US to reopen stalled trade negotiations.
Why it’s important: Beijing views lifting the Huawei ban as a precondition for reaching a trade deal with Washington, The Wall Street Journal reported last week. White House officials have said the administration was keeping Huawei separate from trade talks, but Trump is clearly making Huawei a part of any trade settlement. Last month, Trump indicated that the US could lift restrictions against Huawei if the US sees some forward movement on the trade talks.