The Trump administration has revoked at least one licence allowing a vendor to continue doing business with the Chinese telecom equipment company, and signalled it will deny several outstanding applications, an email from the Semiconductor Industry Association reportedly states. (Reuters)

Talking point: U.S. Huawei vendors require the exemptions because the department put the company on its entity list, which restricts what firms can export to it, in May 2019, citing “activities contrary to [U.S.] national security or foreign policy interests.” The latest move will have a commercial impact domestically—suppliers reportedly have 150 licence applications for US$120 billion in exports—but is designed to increase the pressure on Huawei, which needs semiconductors and other components to produce its equipment. President-elect Joe Biden’s new administration is expected to keep restrictions on the firm in place.