The U.K. government is planning to send a delegation to the U.S. to get additional details on how President Donald Trump’s decision to place Chinese vendor Huawei on an export blacklist would affects companies overseas, Bloomberg reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The report also highlighted that the British government had no advance notice of the Trump administration’s blacklisting of Huawei. This decision by the U.S government has also delayed the U.K.’s own decision on whether to allow the Chinese vendor to supply 5G network infrastructure.
During the planned trip, U.K officials will have meetings at the U.S. Department of Commerce to ask for guidance on the extent of the Huawei export ban.
Last month, the Trump administration confirmed that the U.S. Department of Commerce added Huawei to its Entity List, a decision that effectively banned the company from buying parts and components from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval. Under the order, Huawei will need a U.S. government license to buy components from U.S. suppliers.
However, since then, the administration announced that it would ease certain export restrictions recently imposed on Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies during 90 days, in a move to give operators time to make other arrangements.
The U.S government is also putting pressure to some of the country’s key allies including the U.K and Germany to adopt a similar decision and ban the Chinese company from taking part in 5G contracts over security allegations.
The U.K, government is currently conducting a review of the telecom supply chain, which was originally due for publication in the first quarter of this year but has been pushed back to an uncertain date, Bloomberg reported.
The findings of that review will be crucial to determine Huawei’s future role in the deployment of 5G infrastructure in the country.
The U.K. position on Huawei’s involvement in 5G could be delayed until a new prime minister is chosen to replace Theresa May, who is stepping down. Government officials said they had no clarity about whether the final decision on Huawei will be adopted by May or her successor, according to the report.
Last month, the U.K.’s National Security Council had recommended Huawei should be allowed to build some parts of U.K’s 5G networks. However, some of the candidates to replace May have recently adopted a harder line against the involvement of Huawei in 5G contracts.
During a recent state visit to the U.K., Trump said that there would be no long-term disagreement between Britain and the U.S. over Huawei’s role. U.S officials had previously said that intelligence sharing between the two allies could be ended if the U.K allowed Huawei to build 5G networks in the country.
“We are going to have absolutely an agreement on Huawei and everything else. We have an incredible intelligence relationship and we will be able to work out any differences,” Trump said at a joint press conference in London with May.
