US president Donald Trump issued a sweeping executive order Wednesday to block American companies from using products made by Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co. and other foreign communications firms seen as a threat to America, taking a long-anticipated action that he had postponed while Washington and Beijing were in intense trade negotiations.

The White House said the president was taking the action to “protect America from foreign adversaries who are actively and increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology infrastructure and services in the United States”.

Trump’s directive does not name any company from China or any other country, but it clearly is aimed at Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer. US officials have led an aggressive campaign to restrain Huawei’s global expansion as a leading supplier of the next-generation 5G wireless networks.

Trump signed an order that was prepared months ago. It immediately added a new level of friction between the world’s two largest economies.

Source: v.duta.us