The U.S. Commerce Department withdrew proposed regulations making it more difficult for U.S. firms to sell to Huawei, following Pentagon concerns that doing so would cut into revenue. (The Wall Street Journal)

Talking point: This is a victory for the Pentagon and the semiconductor industry, which has been lobbying against this proposal for months. In May 2019, the Commerce Department blacklisted Huawei, barring firms from selling U.S. technology to the Chinese telecom without a licence. However, many companies have found ways around the blacklist, so Commerce wanted to add more restrictions. Today’s setback is the latest in a series for U.S. attempts to block Huawei. The U.K. has indicated it will allow Huawei into its 5G networks, despite fierce U.S. lobbying to stop it from doing so. The U.S. is now trying a new tactic, talking with Japan and other democratic countries about ways companies could produce 5G equipment to compete with Huawei within the next 18 months. That timeline may not do much for the U.S., though, as the U.K. is planning on deciding whether to permit Huawei next week. Canada has still not announced its own decision on the company.