Is it just us, or does this spat between the US government and Huawei feel like two kindergarteners fighting in the sandbox? Little US keeps taking Huawei’s toys away, to keep as a bargaining tool… for some reason.
And now US has allowed another 90 days play-time with Huawei. So the two are kinda friends, but not really. Like those kids who only get along when their parents are in the room. Those involved can, however, have access to the sandbox for another three months. After that there may be more play-time… or no more play-time at all. It’s pretty hard to tell what the outcome will be when the two parties are basically toddlers at this point (the orange-faced toddler more so than the other party involved).
The previous 90-day delay of Huawei-US sanctions came to an end this week, after which US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced another 90-day extension. Apparently, the extended delay was implemented to help smaller/rural businesses find alternate parts and equipment.
“We’re giving them a little more time to wean themselves off,” Ross reportedly said. The new delay will end around 19 November. For realzies this time?
Piling it on
In the same breath, the US government announced that it has decided to add 46 additional subsidiaries of Huawei to the Entity List. Which will render trading with them (if you’re a US company) impossible unless you have a specific license. Apparently, none of these licenses have been issued since the ban initiated.
The Verge reports that “Huawei called the addition of new subsidiaries ‘politically motivated’ and ‘unjust treatment’ that had ‘nothing to do with national security.’ The 90-day extension ‘won’t have a substantial impact on Huawei’s business’”.
It’s hard to take anything the blabbering US president says to heart. At the G20 Summit, the US said it would potentially remove Huawei from the Entity List, after which it just kept piling new additions on. This trade war is far from over.
Huawei is handling the whole thing like a boss, and has started rolling out its own operating system already. At a press briefing last week, Huawei South Africa stressed that the company will continue business with Google for as long as possible. But if the pawpaw strikes the fan, Huawei is ready to roll out Harmony OS to a wide range of devices.
Source: The Verge