Commerce official: National security exemptions in trade law allow U.S. moves on Chinese ICT products

NEW YORK CITY. The U.S. government's moves toward banning entities like Chinese telecom Huawei from its supply chain are supported by international law and specific World Trade Organization provisions on national security, a key Commerce Department official said here today.

“Article 21 of the [General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade] and the General Agreement on Procurement, article 23, allows for a national security measure to be used to kind of not adhere to global trade system rules,” said Nazak Nikakhtar...