US: Tech experts to visit White House to discuss Huawei ban

The US ban on sales to China’s Huawei is expected to be a topic of discussion Monday, July 22, between White House regulators and tech executives.

Semiconductor and software executives were invited to a meeting by White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, two sources briefed on the meeting told Reuters.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is also expected to attend the White House event, along with Intel, Qualcomm, Google, and Micron, Reuters reported. Broadcom Inc and Microsoft Corp also received invitations.

The subject of Huawei was expected “to come up, but that it is not the reason why they are convening the meeting,” said the official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

US companies’ ties to Huawei are shaky since the Trump administration blacklisted the world’s top maker of telecommunications equipment, citing national security concerns.

The  ban prevents American companies from buying parts and equipment from Huawei without the approval of the US government. President Trump also signed an executive order in May that prevents US companies from using Huawei equipment.

With US export blacklisting along with other actions against Huawei, founder Ren Zhengfei expects revenue to be roughly US$100 billion this year — down from last year’s approximately US$107 billion.

Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross said in May that licenses would be issued where there is no threat to national security.

Huawei has filed a lawsuit against the US Commerce Department over telecommunications equipment. The lawsuit centers on whether the equipment is covered by Export Administration Regulations. In its filing, Huawei explained that it shipped the telecommunications equipment from China to a testing laboratory in California. After the testing was completed, everything was shipped back to China, leading the company to believe that an application for a license was not needed. Huawei has asked for the equipment to be either released or for the Commerce Department to decide that it was shipped illegally.