The US is officially extending Huawei’s reprieve by another 90 days

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wilbur rossWin McNamee/Getty Images

  • US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed to Fox News on Monday the US is granting Huawei a second 90-day license following its blacklisting.
  • This will mean US firms can continue doing business with the Chinese phone maker for the time being.
  • The firm was placed on an "entity list" over national security firms in May,  and was initially given 90 days to help customers with the transition.
  • President Trump told reporters he doesn’t want to do business with Huawei "at all."
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. 

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced on Monday that the US is giving Huawei another 90 days before it is properly blacklisted from doing business with American firms.

The Department of Commerce placed Huawei on an "entity" list back in May, which bars American firms from doing business with the company without obtaining permission from the government. These licenses are thought to be difficult to procure.

Shortly after the ban was announced, the US granted Huawei a 90-day license to help its customers transition. That license was due to run out today.

Reuters reported Sunday that another license was expected to be implemented, and Ross confirmed this to Fox News on Monday morning and gave some extra detail.

"It is another 90 days for the U.S. telecom companies," Ross said. "Some of the rural companies are dependent on Huawei. So we’re giving them a little more time to wean themselves off. But no specific licenses are being granted for anything," said Ross. He said the next deadline would be around November 19.

Read more: Huawei technicians have been helping governments in Uganda and Zambia spy on their political opponents, a new report says

In spite of the reprieve, the Commerce Department has added 46 more Huawei subsidiaries to the entity list.

"We now have more than 100 subsidiaries on the entity list," Ross said. "Adding more entities makes it more difficult for Huawei to get around the sanctions."

Exactly where the US stands on Huawei has become muddier and muddier.

President Trump told reporters on Sunday that he doesn’t want to do business with the Chinese firm "at all," having said at the G20 summit in June that US firms would be able to sell to the company.

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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Isobel Asher Hamilton)

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