President Donald Trump’s pledge to help a Chinese telecommunication company that broke U. S. sanctions law sparked a backlash from lawmakers who said the mo
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s pledge to help a Chinese telecommunication company that broke U. S. sanctions law sparked a backlash from lawmakers who said the move could weaken the U. S. hand in upcoming trade talks with Beijing.
Trump said on Sunday that he was working with Chinese President Xi Jinping to help ZTE Corp. revive jobs after the company ran afoul of U. S. economic sanctions on Iran by selling telecom equipment made with U. S. components.
His decision angered lawmakers from both parties, who said it looked like he was backing down ahead of high-stakes trade talks this week in Washington between the United States and China.
“One of the few areas where the president and I agreed, and I was vocally supportive, was his approach towards China. But even here he is backing off, and his policy is now designed to achieve one goal: make China great again,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio cited concerns about Beijing using telecom companies like ZTE, China’s second-largest maker of telecommunications equipment, for espionage.
