The US government has confirmed it will allow American companies to participate in international standards organisations alongside China’s Huawei. The rule change will be published in the Federal Register on 18 June, Reuters reports.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said American companies are encouraged to participate in international standards development in order to help maintain the country's lead in global innovation and protect national security and foreign policy interests.
Without the rule change, US companies risked violating the sanctions imposed against Huawei and other Chinese companies. Last year, the US placed Huawei on the Commerce Department’s so-called entity list, which restricts US companies from doing business with the group due to national security concerns. With US companies uncertain what technology or information they were allowed to share, engineers from some US firms reduced their participation in international standards groups, potentially giving Huawei a stronger voice.
Under the new rule issued by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security rule, companies can disclose technology for the purposes of standards development, even if Huawei is part of the standards process, without the need to seek a special licence from the BIS.
