Trump admin limits supplies to Huawei: sources

In the last days of his administration, U.S. President Donald Trump took what may be his parting shot at China's Huawei.

Reuters sources say Trump has pulled licenses from companies including Intel that let them sell to Huawei, another push to weaken a company the U.S. considers a threat to national security.

The notices came amid a flurry of U.S. actions against Beijing just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Wednesday.

A source familiar with the decision said eight licenses were taken from four companies and that the Department of Commerce intends to reject dozens of applications for new ones.

When asked, Commerce said it would not comment on specifics but did say their policies protect 'U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.'

Huawei has been in Washington's crosshairs for years, saying the company's equipment could be used for state spying.

Back in May 2019, The Trump administration attempted to restrict suppliers from selling U.S. goods and technology to Huawei, but some sales were still allowed- with a license.

Restrictions have ratcheted up since, mostly targeting products that can make use of 5G technology.

Huawei's chief finance officer, Meng Wanzhou, has also been detained in Canada since 2018 on a U.S. warrant.

Wanzhou is accused of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran and conspiring to steal trade secrets from American technology companies.