China said to be discussing ZTE ban with U.S. officials

Published May 4, 2018

The Chinese government is reportedly going to bat for ZTE over a seven-year ban that would have broad ranging consequences for the phone maker. According to a new report from Reuters, the subject was broached during a meeting with between senior Chinese and U.S. officials in Beijing this week.

The ban imposed by the Department of Commerce is the result of a violation against U.S. Iranian sanctions. ZTE pled guilty, agreeing to pay a fine and penalize employees. After the DOC insisted it failed to do the latter, it barred US companies from selling software or components to the phone maker for seven years. Between chip makers like Qualcomm and software providers including, most notably, Google, the restrictions will prove next to impossible for ZTE to circumvent.

For many, the steep penalty appears to be part of a larger looming trade war between the two countries that’s also found ZTE and Huawei caught in the crosshairs over ties to the Chinese government. U.S. officials, however, have insisted that the ban isn’t related to trade issues between the two countries.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon banned the sale of both companies’ phones on military bases — just the latest in a long line tough breaks here in the States. ZTE has largely weathered the broader U.S. spying concerns better, due in part to a broader footprint in the States than Huawei, but the company admitted that this latest ban would be downright devestating.

“The Denial Order will not only severely impact the survival and development of ZTE,” the company told TechCrunch, “but will also cause damages to all partners of ZTE including a large number of U.S. companies.”

ZTE has also reportedly been in talks with U.S. companies like Google and has suggested it will take judicial action, if necessary.