The trade dispute between China and the US is entering the next round. The US government has now issued new bans on the sale of Chinese technology products. Devices from smartphone manufacturer Huawei are among those affected.

An "unacceptable risk" to national security: this is how the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) justifies the ban on the sale of telecommunications equipment and surveillance technology from China. It fears that sensitive company data could fall into the hands of Chinese government agencies. The blacklist includes numerous well-known manufacturers, including Huawei, ZTE and Hangzhou.

The background

The US government has been trying to cut China off from sensitive data and sensitive security technology for several years now. As recently as 2019, then President Donald Trump declared a national telecommunications emergency due to the simmering trade conflict with China. In October 2022, the White House imposed strict export controls on the supply of microchips and highly specialized machine tools for chip production. US companies are now only allowed to do business with Chinese manufacturers with approval.

Import and sales ban for smartphones

The latest measures affect a total of ten Chinese companies whose business relations with the US were already severely restricted. As a result of the new order, smartphones from Huawei and ZTE, among others, may neither be imported nor sold in the USA. The ban also applies to services. This means that older products can no longer be serviced by the manufacturers. This is the first time in the history of the FCC that the approval of new devices has been prohibited due to national security concerns, FCC Director Jessica Rosenworcel announced.

Possible consequences for Europe too

With the new restrictions, President Joe Biden is continuing the sanctions policy of his predecessor Donald Trump. Almost all of his import tariffs are still in force. In addition, the US government would also like to persuade other Western countries to restrict business relations with Chinese companies such as Huawei. EU countries have so far rejected this. However, the European Union is currently discussing a response to the current US bans.