Commerce Says It Received More Than 200 Huawei License Applications

The Commerce Department has received more than 200 Huawei-related license requests since the Chinese technology company was added to the agency’s Entity List, a Commerce spokesperson said. The agency is still reviewing the applications. “Given the complexity of the matter, the interagency process is ongoing to ensure we correctly identified which licenses were safe to approve,” the spokesperson said.

The number, first reported by Bloomberg, is significantly higher than the 50 applications Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in July the agency had received (see 1907240030). Ross and other Commerce officials also said in July they planned to make a decision on the licenses soon (see 1907090068). Companies have not yet received approvals or denials, according to two trade lawyers with clients that submitted license applications.

The delay is causing confusion and uncertainty among U.S. companies, who are unsure whether they can sell to Huawei, Bloomberg reported. Lawyers and industry representatives have “argued for months in closed-door meetings” with the Trump administration that Huawei’s blacklisting is hurting U.S. businesses and are “confused about the administration’s end goals,” the report said. The discussions have not yielded clarity about when license decisions will be released, the report said.