The administration Trump has given its green light to the total resumption of activities of the telecommunications company china-based ZTE, in spite of the uproar among the senators (Photo by Johannes EISELE. AFP)
The folder bane for months, relations between Washington and Beijing. The administration Trump has given its green light to the total resumption of activities of the telecommunications company china-based ZTE, in spite of the outcry among the us senators.
The the u.s. department of Commerce announced Friday it has lifted all export restrictions on the group, the latter being acquitted of a fine of a billion dollars and a security deposit of $ 400 million, according to an agreement announced in early June.
The United States had been banned in mid-April, all sales of electronic components americans to ZTE to punish the chinese group have violated embargoes against Iran and North Korea.
And private electronic chips for the u.s., ZTE had to stop the major part of its activities, threatening its some 80,000 jobs.
But the White House had subsequently consented, at the request of the chinese president Xi Jinping, to reverse this decision, which was also the american companies.
“Although the ban on ZTE to be lifted, the department (in Trade) will remain vigilant in closely monitoring the measures taken to ensure compliance with the legislation and regulations in the u.s.”, said the secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, quoted in the press release.
The minister of Donald Trump recalls in particular that ZTE needs to put in place a monitoring cell which will be under the tutelage of his administration.
Selected by the department of Trade, the team, whose role will be to monitor “in real time” the actions of ZTE, will report to the Bureau of industry and security (BIS), under the department for Trade, and for ten years, stressed Wilbur Ross.
During the announcement of the agreement at the beginning of June, ZTE had also agreed to the complete overhaul of its management.
The decision to lift sanctions on ZTE raises an uproar among senators. Many of them, including the republican party, believe that the chinese group represents a danger to the national security of the United States.
– Discussions broken –
They are concerned that the use of its technology in the United States could allow China to “steal” more easily of the secrets to american industry.
They argue also that the fine of 892 million dollars imposed on the group in a previous judgment of march 2017, which was not prevented from violating the new legislation.
The Senate has approved on June 18 a draft law to cancel the lifting of sanctions against ZTE. And Thursday, of senators, republicans and democrats have once again asked the government to restore the penalties on ZTE.
After the compromise reached at the beginning of June, ZTE had itself recognized a corporate culture that is “at fault” and promised to “learn lessons”, according to an internal note revealed by the local press.
The green light to the resumption of activity from ZTE comes as the United States and China have turned to the trade war.
There’s just a week, the two countries are mutually imposed tariffs of 25% on $ 34 billion in annual imports.
This week, the White House announced that it was to be taxed, starting in September, 200 billion of chinese imports further to a level of 10%.
The question ZTE was invited to the spring menu of the acrimonious talks that led then the first two economic powers to try to avoid a trade war.
Despite the prospect of the lifting of sanctions on ZTE, on Thursday, the chinese government has indicated that no discussion with the United States loomed in an attempt to stop the trade war with China, due to lack of trust between the two countries.
“As China has said many times, trust is essential to the negotiations. The two parties did not have any contact to resume the talks”, said to the press the spokesman of the ministry of Commerce of china, Gao Feng.
