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.

Comments

Treason

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Re:Treason

[Areyoukiddingme]

I don't know anything about Chinese trademark...

Manifestly not. I haven't really been following the story in detail, but I do know China. Ivanka's company had been trying to get that trademark for years, and the Chinese government was dragging its feet, then denying it, repeatedly. China's protectionism extends to all parts of their economy, including trademarks. They did not want to grant that trademark to a foreign-owned business. Them suddenly granting it is rather blatantly a payoff, under the circumstances.

Re:Treason

[Anonymous Coward]

That is true, but Don't ignore the Qualcomm angle either.

This is the 3rd time Trump has intervened to protect Qualcomm's interests.

Remember when they almost got bought out by Broadcomm? Yeah turns out they asked Daddy Trump to intervene and didn't tell anyone about it.(And there's about to be a shareholder lawsuit because they did not disclose that to the SEC)
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2018/jun/11/qualcomm-secretly-contacted-us-government/

Qualcomm is looking to buy NXP semiconductors. The Chinese were holding up the deal and it looked all but dead on regulatory/antitrust grounds.. And oh my! All of a sudden it's happening after ZTE gets saved. What a coincidence!

Re:Treason

[Anonymous Coward]

Things got ugly when Conservatives replaced news with hate-radio, kook-blogs and Fox News, and were filled with misguided hatred of mainstream Americans and our values. Now they cry like babies when they reap what they've sown.

Re:Treason

[PopeRatzo]

In a nutshell, everything he's done in the past year and a half, including taking some heat during phony summits and ignoring the hypocrisy of pussy-hurting liberals like you

So, what you're trying to say is that you don't have a single bit of evidence that Trump cares about American jobs.

Noted.

Re: Treason

[Anonymous Coward]

So, you're saying that the 500 million dollar deal doesn't exist or is a lefty story?

That's... Interesting, considering the national review is confirming it and the NR is one of the more conservative places on the internet.

But if you want to just strawman and ignore real events as lefty propeganda, I think you're doing a disservice to yourself.

Re:Treason

[Tough Love]

What exactly did Trump surrender to North Korea?

Legitimacy for a bloodthirsty despot. Next question?

Re:Treason

[Tough Love]

I don't understand the legitimacy thing.

You do not understand the legitimacy thing because you do not understand the freedom thing or the rule of law thing. You want to give the despot money, and ignore the teachings of history that appeasement never works? Good thing nobody cares what you think.

Re:Treason

[N1AK]

So far Trump has told the members of NATO to meet their financial obligations or lose the backing of the WH. However,he had no intention of every forsaking US support in NATO. His statement was considered rude in the international diplomatic circle jerk club. The US is not suppose to say mean things about it's "allies".

This doesn't relate to American jobs let alone that he cares about it. You and the orange narcissist in chief may find it amusing to burn good will by needlessly insulting allies, or even dismissing with air quotes the idea they are allies, in your own little circle jerks. However it hasn't achieved anything yet except to damage relationships that are also in your interest. Those countries you imply are false allies are the same ones who have lost one thousand lives and had over ten thousand more soldiers injured in Afghanistan in the NATO response to an attack on the US.

The depressing part of so much of Trump's support is that it comes for actions he takes that achieve only harm to America in the end but appeal to a certain demographic because the fact it annoys someone else or that it is done in a way that seems powerful. The hard to believe part is the groups that have defined themselves on fighting the very things he does who are lining up to do his bidding; the likes of the religious conservatives who would be trying to have anyone but a Republican removed from office for 10% of his immoral behaviour, the fiscal conservatives sticking their fingers in their ears while he explodes the debt, the free market supporters ignoring his clear disdain for their beliefs.

Re:Treason

[CohibaVancouver]

> So no our 'allies' did not send troops to Afghanistan for us or our interests

Canadian soldiers were wounded and died in Afghanistan because our ally - The United States - Was attacked.

We stood by our friend and military ally.

Corporate Death Penalty?

[l0ungeb0y]

Why allow Wells Fargo to live?

Re:What a bunch of dumbfucks on both sides of the.

[EndlessNameless]

Wow, that is wrong.

If someone needs a phone and doesn't get it from ZTE, they will simply buy another brand. And since every phone has a SoC, the number of SoCs sold will remain about the same.

There is no reason at all to support ZTE. They flout US laws, and there are many, many competitors who will be happy to make phones for us while following US law.

Re:hard to see this passing.

[fahrbot-bot]

America cant have this cake and eat it too.

Yet, Trump, his administration and supporters believe they can (and deserve it).

... saddled with an illiterate profiteer as its head of state, and hes doing a rather poor job of keeping the curtain closed on who actually runs America.

Trump said he would "drain the swamp." He *never* said he wouldn't fill it back up again.