China Says Revocation of Huawei-Related Export Licenses Violates WTO Rules

China on May 7 voiced its opposition to the U.S. reportedly revoking the export licenses that Intel and Qualcomm use to sell certain semiconductors to Huawei (see 2405070081). The Ministry of Commerce said the move violates World Trade Organization commitments, according to an unofficial translation.

The ministry said, in response to a reporter's question, that the U.S. overextends its concept of national security, abuses export control measures and imposes "unreasonable sanctions and suppression measures against specific Chinese companies."

The Commerce Department reportedly revoked the licenses two weeks after Republican senators urged the agency to revoke all export licenses to Huawei (see 2404260031). A BIS spokesperson said in a May 8 email: "We are not commenting on any specific licenses, but we can confirm that we have revoked certain licenses for exports to Huawei."

The Chinese ministry said that the U.S. restricts the export of "purely civilian consumer chip products to China and cuts off supply to specific Chinese companies" -- a "typical economic coercion practice" in violation of global trading rules that also damages the interest of American firms. The move violates commitments not to decouple from China and to "precisely" define national security, the ministry said.