Kevin Wolf Quoted by Voice of America on Continuation of Trump-Era Export Bans Against Huawei Technologies

Kevin Wolf, international trade partner at Akin Gump, has been quoted in the Voice of America article “Years-Long US Pressure Campaign Chokes Huawei’s Growth,” which looks at whether President Biden is likely to lift Trump-era policies blocking the Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies’ supply of technology it needs to produce modern 5G smartphones.

Earlier this month, the article says, the prospects for relief dimmed considerably when the Biden-Harris administration said it would not only continue some of the Trump administration’s export bans, but would tighten them.

“The Biden administration appears to be maintaining the final Trump policy regarding which Huawei-related export licenses to approve or deny, which is more restrictive than the 2020 license policy,” said Wolf, a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration in the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.

Wolf added, “In order to make the license policy consistent and level the playing field, it has amended 2020 licenses limiting their scope so that they align with the final Trump license policy. In particular, licenses for shipments for items ‘for use in or with 5G devices’ will be denied or revoked.”