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Senate Will Try To Reverse ZTE Deal Via a Must-Pass Defense Bill (politico.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Senate leaders agreed Monday to include language in the annual defense spending bill that would reverse the Trump administration's decision to save Chinese telecommunications company ZTE after it was caught violating the terms of a 2017 penalty agreement by making illegal sales to Iran and North Korea. The language will be part of an amendment in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, a $716 billion defense policy bill, H.R. 5515 (115).
If the Senate amendment becomes law, it would automatically reinstate the seven-year prohibition until Trump has certified to Congress that ZTE has met certain conditions. It also would ban all U.S. government agencies from purchasing or leasing telecommunications equipment and/or services from ZTE, a second Chinese telecommunications firm, Huawei, or any subsidiaries or affiliates of those two companies. The amendment language "prohibits the federal government from doing business with ZTE or Huawei or other Chinese telecom companies" and puts the company back on the sanctions list and "holds ZTE accountable for violating their previous commitment," Cotton said. The senators supporting the amendment include Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer and two Republican Senators -- Sen Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). "I and obviously every other senator believes the death penalty is the appropriate punishment for their behavior," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told reporters after Ross briefed senators on the department's latest ZTE action. "They're a repeat bad actor that should be put out of business. For eight years, ZTE was able to run wild and be able to become the fourth-largest telecom company in the world." If the Senate amendment becomes law, "I would expect there wouldn't be a ZTE," Cotton added.
If the Senate amendment becomes law, it would automatically reinstate the seven-year prohibition until Trump has certified to Congress that ZTE has met certain conditions. It also would ban all U.S. government agencies from purchasing or leasing telecommunications equipment and/or services from ZTE, a second Chinese telecommunications firm, Huawei, or any subsidiaries or affiliates of those two companies. The amendment language "prohibits the federal government from doing business with ZTE or Huawei or other Chinese telecom companies" and puts the company back on the sanctions list and "holds ZTE accountable for violating their previous commitment," Cotton said. The senators supporting the amendment include Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer and two Republican Senators -- Sen Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). "I and obviously every other senator believes the death penalty is the appropriate punishment for their behavior," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told reporters after Ross briefed senators on the department's latest ZTE action. "They're a repeat bad actor that should be put out of business. For eight years, ZTE was able to run wild and be able to become the fourth-largest telecom company in the world." If the Senate amendment becomes law, "I would expect there wouldn't be a ZTE," Cotton added.
He did it to get a $500 million Chinese investment in a Trump property and some Chinese trademarks for Princess Ivanka.
What about the past year and a half could possibly make you think Trump cares anything about "American jobs"?
You are welcome on my lawn.
They were filing bankruptcy in the wake of the initial sanctions. The problem is not only being shut out of their 2nd-largest market. Sanctions also prohibit US companies from selling to ZTE, which restricts their ability to acquire components.
Maybe ZTE could survive, but that is far from certain. They have strong domestic competitors in Huawei and Xiaomi, and both of those companies enjoy full access to Western suppliers and markets.
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According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.
Donald Trump is letting a Chinese company sell hacked phones used as surveillance department for the Chinese government.
The only explanation is that this is part of Trump's surrender to North Korea and China.
Is this a troll as some mod thinks (possibly Russian) or is it the simple truth? Everybody remembers that Drump got paid off promptly in the form of $500 million real estate "investment" right?
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Past year and a half? You don't even have to go that recent. For much longer, he's been selling Trump branded items made in other countries. American made options have always been available, not for everything but for more items than Trump sold. Of course, if American suppliers charge more, that might make him less money. You can tell someone's real character by how they act when no one is watching, and it wasn't until he began a presidential campaign in earnest that he chose to source US made items. Trump cares about Trump, not American jobs.
No. ZTE was already caught and determined to be guilty of making illegal sales to North Korea. Trump prevented the sanctions from being imposed, but that didn't make ZTE innocent. Congress is just trying to impose the punishment that was already decided.