A new report by Reuters claims that President Joe Biden's nominee for the Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, will reconsider the ongoing economic sanctions again Huawei. According to Reuters, the Senator has indicated that she will use 'the full toolkit' at her disposal to protect US citizens and domestic networks from Chinese interference, specifically from Huawei and ZTE. However, Raimondo did not assure the Senate Commerce Committee that Huawei would remain on the economic blacklist if she were appointed.
Instead, Raimondo will re-examine the provisions put in place by the previous administration. Additionally, Reuters claims that Raimondo wants to hold discussions with industry representatives and politicians to make the best possible decision for US economic and security interests.
Unsurprisingly, Republicans have been quick to criticise Raimondo for her apparent lack of assurance that Huawei would remain economically blacklisted. Representative Michael McCaul and Senator Ben Sasse have been vocal in their criticism of Raimondo, for example.
Ultimately, Huawei would take a while to resume trading with US companies, even if the new administration were to relax its sanctions against it. Equivalent trade restrictions apply to several Chinese companies too, including DJI and SMIC, China's largest semiconductor manufacturer.