Late last year, we heard that President Trump was considering signing an executive order that would ban U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by Huawei and ZTE. Now a new report claims that that order will indeed be signed soon.
President Trump is expected to sign an executive order this week that will bar U.S. companies from using networking equipment from companies that pose a national security risk, say Reuters sources, which will allow for a ban on Huawei equipment. The order, which will not name specific countries or companies, will invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act that allows the president to regulate commerce in response to a national emergency.
This executive order has reportedly been under consideration for a year, but has been delayed several times.
The reason behind this ban is that some in Washington believe that Huawei equipment could be used by the Chinese government to spy on the U.S. Huawei has denied those claims. Last year, the president signed the Defense Authorization Act, banning the U.S. government from using Huawei and ZTE products, and so it's certainly possible that an executive order that will place a wider ban on the use of Huawei networking equipment in the U.S. will be signed.