Huawei is still on Trump’s blacklist. But that hasn’t stopped the $100 billion Chinese company from introducing its P40 series of smartphones. Huawei also took another giant leap in the 5G race when France agreed to use Huawei 5G platform to build parts of the country’s 5G cellular network.
The UK also signed a 5G deal with CEO Ren Zhengfei’s company. According to Zhengfei, more than 70 countries will use Huawei’s 5G services. The tech giant plans to build a 5G factory in France to service its European clients, according to company officials.
U.S. tech companies still do business with Huawei despite Trump blacklisting thanks to a 90-day license. The license went into effect last year. But Wilbur Ross extended the license three times in order for the big tech companies to buy and sell components and exchange information with Huawei.
Mr. Trump still claims the company spies for the Chinese government. The president thinks there’s a backdoor in Huawei’s apps that sends information to the Chinese government. But the Swiss claim they didn’t find proof of that before they signed a 5G deal with Zhengfei.
China’s tech sector is the bright spot in the country’s devastated economy. Manufacturing is still not up to speed due to supply chain snafus and people staying home from work. The government said its economy would roar back to life once the country flattened the curve, but that hasn’t happened. China’s economy grew by 6.0% last year. Economists think growth will be in negative territory at the end of March.
President Trump feels the economic pressure from the coronavirus pandemic. Trump knows the unemployment rate is about to explode, and the economy has recession written all over it. Health officials claim sending people back to work before the virus curve flattens could exacerbate this epic health disaster.
Reporters asked the president if he planned to bail out his company. Mr. Trump told the press he lost billions when he became president, even though the New York Times claims Trump and his companies continue to make money from his executive decisions.
But the press knows the president’s daily briefings are not just about the coronavirus. Mr. Trump takes advantage of that time to spread information and feather his own political nest, according to CNN’s John Roberts, and MSNBC’s Chuck Todd. Both men think Trump cares more about his ratings than giving people reliable information about his response to the pandemic.
