Washington (AFP)

The Trump administration on Monday granted a new respite to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, at a time when there is great uncertainty surrounding the negotiations to end the trade war between the world's two largest economies.

The US Department of Commerce extended the first exemption period granted in May to some US customers and suppliers of Huawei for 90 days.

This new period "aims to give consumers across America the time to find suppliers other than Huawei, because of the permanent threat (it represents) to national security and foreign policy," explained the Ministry of Commerce.

The Trump administration placed Huawei on a blacklist in May, accusing the group of working with the Chinese authorities.

Exemptions are granted to certain US companies so that they can continue to sell low-tech products to the Chinese group or to allow some of its customers to switch suppliers.

"There are 90 more days for US telecoms companies, including some rural companies, which depend on Huawei," Commerce Minister Wilbur Ross told Fox Business, adding, "we are giving them more time to wean themselves off ".

Beyond these exemptions, federal agencies still have a ban on working with the Chinese giant. And the administration has repeatedly insisted that Huawei can not participate in the construction of the 5G mobile network in the United States.

Washington is actively campaigning with its allies to do the same.

The ministry said on Monday that it had added 46 Huawei subsidiaries to the blacklist on Monday, noting that since May it had registered a total of about 100 affiliates and people related to the Chinese group.

- Confusion -

On Sunday, Donald Trump had suggested that the exemption period might not be extended, "for reasons of national security".

Trump also linked Beijing's attitude to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and the fate of trade talks between the two countries.

"I think it would be very difficult to reach an agreement if they exercise violence, (...) if it's another place Tiananmen", said the Republican president, after having said on Twitter that his country "went very well with China".

Earlier in the day, his senior economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said Washington and Beijing were actively trying to get the negotiations back on track to end the trade war that is weighing on global growth prospects.

According to Kudlow, senior officials on both sides who have to talk to each other over the phone "in the week or the next 10 days".

The statements by the White House advisor still cast doubt on the arrival of a Chinese delegation in Washington during the month of September.

The financial markets, made extremely nervous by a series of signs of a slowdown in the world economy - especially because of the war waged by the first two economies in the world - scrutinize any information on this front and react strongly.

- Christmas gift -

In the spring, the US president abruptly ended the talks when an agreement seemed close at hand.

In the end, both sides had resumed talks at the highest level, between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka in June.

But soon after, the host of the White House decided to announce the imposition from 1 September of 10% punitive tariffs on 300 billion dollars of products imported from China previously spared.

Mr. Trump, who is campaigning for his re-election, has finally decided to postpone until December 15 the imposition of this tax on a variety of consumer products so as not to spoil the holiday season of the Americans.

This gesture was seen as a concession to China and a half-admission that tariffs may well have an impact on the US economy, even though the chief adviser to the president on trade, Peter Navarro, has tried on several occasions. Sunday broadcasts convince otherwise.

© 2019 AFP