President Trump inked an extension to the US government's ban on American companies' business with China's Huawei. The move essentially prevents US companies from doing business with Huawei through May 2021.

As Reuters reported, the action invokes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, positioning China's Huawei and ZTE as threats to national security. According to Reuters, the US Commerce Department is also preparing to extend the waivers it has provided to select US companies that will allow them to continue working with Huawei.

Hanging over the situation is the ongoing US-China trade war, a situation now further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in China.

Trump's action is noteworthy in light of a number of new developments, including reports that US companies may be given a green light to work with Huawei and other Chinese companies on 5G standards. And, separately, there are ongoing discussions about a government-funded program to pull Huawei equipment out of some US wireless operator networks and replace it with equipment from "trusted" suppliers.

— Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano