The U. S. accused ZTE of misleading American regulators over sanctions against North Korea and Iran.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday defended his efforts to help a Chinese telecommunications company that violated U. S. sanctions « get back into business, fast, » despite criticism from Democrats and Republicans that the company poses a national security risk.
« ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from U. S. companies, » Trump tweeted Monday. « This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi. »
Trump over the weekend unexpectedly tweeted that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping were « working together » to give ZTE « a way to get back into business, fast, » saying too many jobs in China were at stake after the U. S. government cut off access to its American suppliers.
The surprising overture to China marked a dramatic departure from Trump’s rhetoric toward China during the campaign, when he said he would no longer allow China of « rape our country » and steal U. S. jobs.
The U. S. Commerce Department last month blocked ZTE Corp., a major supplier of telecom networks and smartphones based in southern China, from importing American components for seven years. The U. S. accused ZTE of misleading American regulators over sanctions against North Korea and Iran.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said during an appearance at the National Press Club in Washington Monday that « ZTE did do some inappropriate things. They’ve admitted to that. »
But he added: « The question is: Are there alternative remedies to the one that we had originally put forward? And that’s the area we will be exploring very, very promptly. » He did not say what other options were being discussed.
Trump’s unexpected announcement Sunday came as the two countries prepared for additional trade talks in Washington this week. Given past vows to stop the flow of U. S. jobs to China and what he’s called unfair trade practices, Trump’s seeming concern about Chinese jobs was something of a backflip.
« A reversal of the ZTE decision could temporarily tamp down trade tensions by allowing the Chinese to make concessions to the U. S. without losing face, » said Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University.
