US President Trump says Huawei could be part of trade deal

US President Donald Trump has said it is possible that Huawei is part of a trade agreement. Such a trade agreement would potentially lift the ban on American companies from dealing with the Chinese manufacturer of smartphones, laptops and network equipment.

Trump spoke about Huawei at a White House farmers press conference. He reiterated that the US government sees the Chinese manufacturer as a danger. “But it is possible that they are part of a trade agreement. If we make a deal, I can imagine that Huawei is part of that in some way.”

To a follow-up question from a journalist about what that would look like, Trump says it “looks good for the US.” “It’s too early to say exactly what that would look like,” the US president said.

The US Department of Commerce has banned US companies from trading with Huawei and 70 companies related to the Chinese company. Based on this decision, Google was recently forced to stop providing Huawei with an Android license, while ARM, Qualcomm, Broadcom and other companies also restricted or suspended trade with Huawei. A three-month delay followed soon after.