Tag: ZTE

Senate Republicans drop bid to block Trump from helping Chinese telecom giant ZTE

The following article by Erica Werner was posted on the Washington Post website July 20, 2018:

President Trump, right, andChinese leader Xi Credit: Andy Wong, AP

Senate Republicans have dropped their attempt to reimpose U.S. sanctions on the Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE, lawmakers said Friday, a victory for President Trump as congressional Republicans abandoned a rare effort to thwart his agenda.

The retreat means ZTE, a company found guilty of selling U.S. goods to Iran in violation of sanctions, will duck Commerce Department penalties that bar U.S. companies from doing business with it.

U.S. and Chinese officials had said those penalties would effectively put ZTE out of business.

View the complete article here.

Ivanka Trump Wins China Trademarks, Then Her Father Vows to Save ZTE Image

The following article by Sui-Lee Wee was posted on the New York Times website May 28, 2018:

Ivanka Trump at Andrews Air Force Base. Her growing portfolio of trademarks in China raises questions about whether Chinese officials are giving the Trump family extra consideration that they otherwise might not get.Credit: Tom Brenner, The New York Times

BEIJING — China this month awarded Ivanka Trump seven new trademarks across a broad collection of businesses, including books, housewares and cushions.

At around the same time, President Trump vowed to find a way to prevent a major Chinese telecommunications company from going bust, even though the company has a history of violating American limits on doing business with countries like Iran and North Korea.

Coincidence? Well, probably. Continue reading “Ivanka Trump Wins China Trademarks, Then Her Father Vows to Save ZTE Image”

Trump says he’ll spare Chinese telecom firm ZTE from collapse, defying lawmakers

The following article by Damian Paletta was posted on the Washington Post website May 25, 2018:

President Trump, right, chats with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Credit: Andy Wong, AP

President Trump said late Friday he had allowed embattled Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE Corp. to remain open despite fierce bipartisan opposition on Capitol Hill, defying lawmakers who have warned that the huge technology company should be severely punished for breaking U.S. law.

Trump said on Twitter he was allowing it to “reopen with high level security guarantees, change of management and board,” a requirement that it must purchase U.S. parts, and a $1.3 billion fine.

Sensing such a move, top Democrats and at least one Republican on Friday said the White House’s decision was tantamount to a bailout of a large Chinese company with little benefit for the United States. Continue reading “Trump says he’ll spare Chinese telecom firm ZTE from collapse, defying lawmakers”

Lawmakers Concerned About Trump’s Pledge to Save China’s ZTE

The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website May 14, 2018:

Schumer claims U.S. president’s help would ‘make China great again’

A ZTE-made mobile device. Trump says he will help the Chinese firm avoid collapse. Credit: Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Members from both parties reacted skeptically Monday to President Donald Trump’s intention to help troubled Chinese telecommunications company ZTE, saying they were concerned he was reversing his pledge to get tough on Beijing.

Trump campaigned, in part, on altering the United States’ trading relationships with the rest of the world, taking a particularly hard line against China and its practices. In 2011, he went so far as to say “China is raping this country.” So a Sunday tweet by the president raised eyebrows when he announced an effort with Chinese President Xi Jinping to “give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast.” Continue reading “Lawmakers Concerned About Trump’s Pledge to Save China’s ZTE”

FBI Director Raises Concerns about Chinese Tech Giant Trump Wants to Help

The following article by Todd Ruger was posted on the Roll Call website May 16, 2018:

Wray defends agency, responding to political attacks from Congress and White House

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during a Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing in Dirksen Building on the bureau’s FY2019 budget Wednesday. Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday reaffirmed concerns about Chinese telecommunications company ZTE that President Donald Trump wants to help — and defended the agency from political attacks coming from the White House and Congress.

At a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing about the FBI’s fiscal 2019 budget request, Wray used a question about the agency’s responsiveness to congressional oversight to highlight the importance of protecting people who provide agents information.

Republican Reps. Devin Nunes and Mark Meadows last week threatened to impeach Wray and other Justice Department officials if they didn’t produce an unredacted version of a document that started the investigation into possible connections between Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives in the 2016 election. Continue reading “FBI Director Raises Concerns about Chinese Tech Giant Trump Wants to Help”

How Trump’s ZTE deal could undercut his foreign policy

The following article by Adam Taylor was posted on the Washington Post website May 16, 2018:

President Trump tweeted on May 13 that he has asked the Commerce Department to help Chinese technology company ZTE Corp ‘get back into business, fast.’ (Reuters)

When it comes to foreign policy, we often think of a country’s strength in terms of military might — especially in the United States. After all, the U.S. military budget is by far the largest on Earth. Last year, it was more than twice as big as that of China, the second-biggest military spender.

Of course, the United States also wields enormous economic influence, an asset that may be more powerful even than tanks and soldiers. The American economy is the largest in the world, and that preeminence allows the United States to exert control over many levers of power. The Trump administration, like others before it, knows this well. Continue reading “How Trump’s ZTE deal could undercut his foreign policy”

Penalties against China telecom giant ZTE become a bargaining chip as White House, Chinese officials discuss potential trade deal

The following article by Damian Paletta, Ellen Nakashima, Steven Mufson and Tony Romm was posted on the Washington Post website May 13, 2018:

President Trump tweeted on May 13 that he has asked the Commerce Department to help Chinese technology company ZTE Corp ‘get back into business, fast.’ (Reuters)

The White House and senior Chinese officials are discussing a targeted economic deal that would relax severe penalties on ZTE, a major Chinese telecom company, in exchange for unspecified demands from President Trump, two people briefed on the discussions said Sunday.

The talks are fluid, and President Trump has shown a willingness to veer between extremes in how he interacts with Beijing. But Trump said Sunday on Twitter that he wanted federal regulators to take the unusual step of relaxing penalties on ZTE, even though the Chinese company has been accused of illicitly shipping goods to North Korea and Iran. Continue reading “Penalties against China telecom giant ZTE become a bargaining chip as White House, Chinese officials discuss potential trade deal”