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Trump Signs Defense Bill With Watered-Down ZTE Sanctions (cnet.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the violation-of-trade-laws dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNET: President Donald Trump on Monday signed a $716 billion defense policy bill that weakened efforts to punish Chinese telecom giant ZTE for violating trade laws. The bill, named for ailing Arizona Sen. John McCain, prohibits the U.S. government and its contractors from buying certain telecommunications and video surveillance equipment from ZTE, Huawei and a handful of other Chinese communications companies. The ban covers components and services deemed "essential" or "critical" to any government system. Some lawmakers had hoped to use the bill to reinstate tough penalties against ZTE, but the compromise bill removed a provision that would undo a deal the Commerce Department struck in June for ZTE to pay a $1 billion penalty to resume business with U.S. suppliers. But lawmakers agreed to abandon that effort in late July. Huawei called the inclusion of its products in the bill "ineffective, misguided and unconstitutional." They added: "It does nothing to identify real security risks or improve supply chain security, and will only serve to stifle innovation while increasing internet costs for U.S. consumers and businesses. We believe that the American people deserve equal access to the best possible connections and smart device options, and will keep working to make this happen."

5 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. also by dehachel12 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    president trump signs a ridiculously large DOD budget.

  2. $717 billion by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Congress approved $1.56 billion for three littoral combat ships, even though the Navy only requested one."

    Classic. That is when I hear the word "Conservative" or "Progressive" in relation to politics, I always laugh.

  3. Borrowing the entire defense budget by sjbe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    President Donald Trump on Monday signed a $716 billion defense policy bill

    For perspective please note that the defecit in 2017 was $665 billion. So for all practical purpose we are borrowing the entire defense budget and in the process spending more money than China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, France, the UK, and Japan COMBINED. Call me crazy but I'm pretty sure we could put a good chunk of that money to better use.

    1. Re:Borrowing the entire defense budget by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      SS is self-sufficient. It is not adding to any deficit.

      SS is being gutted to try and pay for that 16% of defense.

      Stop passing around stupid information.

      This is like if you had two businesses, one was a great success, the other failing slowly. As the failing business continues to fail, you start taking money from your successful business to help run things in your failing business.

      Eventually your failing business brings them both down.

      All because you were a greedy little fuck. (This is directed to the politicians who keep trying to take OUR money)

  4. Re:ZTE Sanctions Watered Down by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 4, Funny

    So, we have demonstrably proven that the Chinese are conducting Cyber-warfare against us. This includes shipping pre-hacked devices to the United States, such as networking equipment and video surveillance systems.

    Yet we impose a tariff on Canadian steel for national security purposes? WTF

    The tariff's on Canada are to punish Canada for exporting Justin Bieber to us.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch