UNITED STATES: Google parent Alphabet has suspended business with Huawei after the Trump administration’s blacklist of the Chinese technology giant, a source close to the matter told Reuters.
This would mean Huawei will lose access to smartphone operating system updates.
Reuters reported exclusively on Sunday that Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has suspended some business with Huawei – a major blow to the Chinese tech company that the US government has sought to blacklist around the world.
A source close to the matter told Reuters that business requiring the transfer of hardware and software products except those covered by open source licenses is suspended, though details of the specific services were still being discussed internally at Google.
The suspension means Huawei will immediately lose access to updates to the Android operating system, and the next version of its smartphones outside of China will also lose access to popular applications and services including the Google Play Store and Gmail.
Last week, the Trump administration officially added Huawei to a trade blacklist, immediately enacting restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the technology giant to do business with US companies.
But the US Commerce Department told Reuters on Friday that it may soon scale back restrictions on Huawei, saying its considering temporary licenses for the Chinese company’s existing clients.
The US believes Huawei’s smartphones and network equipment could be used by China to spy on Americans. Huawei has repeatedly denied those allegations.
The latest move comes as China strikes a more aggressive tone in its trade war with the United States. And Beijing has suggested a resumption in talks would be meaningless unless Washington changed course. — Reuters
