WASHINGTON—The White House has signed off on special licenses for some U.S. companies to do some business with Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co., according to a person familiar with the process.

The approval is likely to be interpreted as an act of goodwill as senior U.S. and Chinese officials gather for trade talks on Thursday. Business groups hope negotiators can agree on an interim or partial deal to prevent higher tariffs and additional duties on imports from China.

The...