Google Suspends Some Business With Huawei, Reuters Reports

Google has suspended some of its business ties with Huawei, Reuters reported, citing a source close to the matter it didn’t identify, according to Bloomberg.

Google will no longer engage in businesses with Huawei that require the transfer of hardware and software products except those covered by open source licenses, Reuters said. Google will also stop providing technical support and collaboration for Android and Google services.

The next version of Huawei smartphones outside of China will lose access to popular applications and services including the Google Play Store and Gmail app, Reuters said. The Trump administration on Friday blacklisted China’s largest tech company and threatened to cut off the U.S. software and semiconductors it needs to make smartphones and networking gear.

Huawei’s chief executive officer and founder, Ren Zhengfei, said he expects U.S. restrictions won’t hurt his company’s growth much, Nikkei reported. The company, the world’s largest maker of telecommunications gear, has been preparing for the ban since at least the middle of 2018, hoarding components while designing its own chips, according to a report by Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.