US Not Sending Mixed Messages on Huawei Restrictions, Pompeo Says

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dismissed the notion that the Trump administration has sent mixed messages on Huawei, saying the president’s plans have “been unambiguous.” Pompeo’s comments came days after Trump said the U.S. would not be extending a temporary general license for Huawei, followed by the Commerce Department extending the license for 90 days (see 1908190039).

“I don’t think there’s a mixed message at all,” Pompeo told CNBC on Aug. 20, according to the State Department. “The threat of having Chinese telecom systems inside of American networks or inside of networks around the world presents an enormous risk, a national security risk. Our mission ... is to find a way to reduce that risk, to take that risk down as much as we possibly can.”

Pompeo said Commerce renewed the general license because some sales to Huawei do not impact U.S. national security. “There are components that make sense that don’t pose that threat, and we’re trying to find the right spot where the national security risks are addressed, but we compete fairly and allow our companies to trade,” he said.

When asked why the administration is not heeding Trump’s suggestion and immediately stopping all business with Huawei, Pompeo said transitioning away from Huawei too quickly would lead to an “enormous cost.”

“You can’t rip and tear it all out at once,” he said.

Pompeo also said Chinese president Xi Jinping has not threatened to end trade negotiations because of U.S. actions against Huawei. “That’s not been our experience,” Pompeo said. “So no, he hasn’t walked away. He hasn’t said, ‘I won’t talk if you do these things.’ He has said we need to sit down and have a conversation about the trade relationship not only between the United States and China, but China’s place in the World Trade Organization, all of the broader trade issues that exist as well.”