Tech companies will meet at the White House today to discuss Huawei ban

A handful of America’s largest tech companies will meet at the White House today to discuss the administration’s ban on Huawei, reports Reuters. Two sources told the news agency that White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will meet with executives from Intel, Qualcomm, Google, Micron, Microsoft, and Broadcom.

A White House official confirmed the meeting with the tech giants but said it had been called to discuss economic matters. The official said that the subject of Huawei was expected “to come up but that it is not the reason why they are convening the meeting.”

The Trump administration put Huawei on a blacklist in May, citing concerns over national security and the company’s connection to the Chinese government. That move banned U.S. companies from selling some components to Huawei without obtaining a special license from the U.S. government first. However, the need for a special license was suspended for 90 days shortly after the ban’s announcement. That suspension is up on August 19.

Given that Huawei is set to become the world’s largest supplier of 5G technology, tech companies relying on Huawei’s components are concerned about the ban’s influence on their ability to compete and roll out the next advancement in mobile networks. Huawei is also a major patent holder of 5G hardware, meaning it would be difficult for tech and communication companies to source some of the most critical equipment that 5G networks rely on from other providers.