China's Huawei awaits U.S. Commerce nod on resuming usage of Google Android

By Kenneth Li

(Reuters) – China’s Huawei said on Monday it is awaiting guidance from the U.S. Department of Commerce on whether it can resume using Google’s Android mobile operating system on upcoming smartphones.

“We acknowledge President Trump’s comments related to Huawei over the weekend and will wait for guidance from the Department of Commerce but have nothing further to add at this time,” said Tim Danks, Huawei vice president of risk management and partner relations, in response to a reporter’s question about its access to the Alphabet Inc Android operating system.

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump softened his stance on the Chinese tech giant, and told G20 summit attendees that the United States will allow expanded sales of U.S. technology supplies to Huawei.

But the Commerce Department has not clarified if the decision affects Huawei’s access to Google’s Android mobile operating system and services that are used in Huawei’s smartphones.

(Reporting by Kenneth Li; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)