Microsoft has been granted a license to export software to Huawei, meaning the manufacturer can now begin producing new Windows-powered laptops again. 

This news comes just days after Huawei had another 90-day license extension

In an email to Reuters, Microsoft confirmed that it has now been granted a license by the US Department of Commerce, allowing the two tech giants to continue their relationship. 

Much of the coverage surrounding Huawei's US trade ban has focussed around Android smartphones. And rightly so.

The manufacturer is one of the big players in the world of phones, having cemented itself as one of the top three smartphone markers in recent years (joining Samsung and Apple). 

With that said, Google's relationship with Huawei was far from being the only one affected by the wide-reaching trade ban. It also meant Microsoft couldn't work with Huawei. 

While smartphones are Huawei's bread and butter, its laptops were starting to gain traction too. It builds stylish, well-made laptops that became firm favourites here at Pocket-lint.

In fact, the MateBook 13 went home with the highly recommended prize from our awards this year

Once the trade ban was in place, new notebooks could no longer be developed, and Huawei wasn't in a position to launch any with its own operating system like it managed to with the smartphones. 

As for Google, no comment has yet been made, and Huawei is still waiting to be given a license to work with the Android maker so that it can - once again - release smartphones running Google's Play Services. 

It's been suggested that Android could soon return to Huawei phones, but no specificity has been given on an exact time frame. 

With Microsoft's license being approved though, the future looks a little rosier for Huawei now than it did a few months ago.