The US government has started granting licences to some American companies to resume sales to Huawei, the Commerce Department announced. The special licences allow certain companies to avoid the restrictions on doing business with Huawei since it was put on the department's Entity List in May due to security concerns.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Fox Business Network that his agency had received nearly 300 requests for exemptions, and that he had begun approving some of those license applications.
A Commerce spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the approved licenses "authorize limited and specific activities which do not pose a significant risk to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States."
The paper said the licences could be seen as a step towards the US trying to reach a new trade deal with China.
Huawei did not comment on the licences.
