back to article ZTE sends 400 million hostages, gets back in business stateside

Chinese telco kit-maker ZTE is back in business in the USA after doing everything asked of it by the nation’s authorities. US secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross late last week issued a statement that said his “Department lifted the denial order on ZTE pursuant to a June settlement agreement that included the harshest penalties …

  1. DerGoat
    Thumb Up

    I like my ZTE phone. The wife and kid have ones too. Great performance for the money. The 6" slab is only $100 and even has two SIM slots, or use one for a micro SD card. I hope they will have a new one when 5G comes out next year.

    Personally, I think Trump handled this pretty well. Gave the Chinese a hard slap that wasn't so hard it made them loose face and they came in line. At least for now.

    I will probably get lots of down votes, but as a Yank, I think Trump is doing a pretty good job. He wasn't my first pick, or even my second, and I didn't think he would win, but I knew one thing: he was going to punch a lot of people in the nose. I've not been disappointed.

    What many people around the world don't understand about US libertarians and conservative Republicans is how sick we have been that recent presidents we have elected, the two Bushes, have not taken the fight to our opponents. What we like about Trump is that finally we have a president who is willing to trow out the rule book and take the fight to the entrenched bureaucracy. That is why so many of us have given him wide latitude to try it his way. And contrary to what you might be reading across the pond, his popularity over here is actually increasing. The November elections will probably give him even more power to be a bull in a China shop.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It's presumably a little confusing to a godless commie Chinese how a disagreement between two medieval pile of sand countries over whether or not the brother-in-law of a 7th century fantasy author gets to take over the franchise- can lead to them not being allowed to sell stuff in America.

      1. Waseem Alkurdi

        Are you sure you understand why Trump did this? He couldn't care less about Iran or Saudi Arabia (the latter except where money is concerned of course, where it earns him something).

        He just wanted to bend the Chinese's back, and teach them that they don't get to evade American sanctions (and send a message to Iran as well that they can't). And in that he succeeded.

    2. julian.smith
      Facepalm

      @DerGoat

      Dumb enough to be an American

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

        Re: @DerGoat

        Dumb enough to be an American

        When I look around at modern democracies I don't think stupidity is limited to the US. Trump, like Berlusconi, is a good showman and that, pace Gil Scott Heron, is what a lot of people seem to want.

    3. Charlie Clark Silver badge
      Facepalm

      US libertarians and conservative Republicans is how sick we have been that recent presidents we have elected

      And whose fault would that be then?

  2. Winkypop Silver badge

    Hmmmm

    Some people seem to believe that Trump actually has a plan.

    The old 3D chess myth.

    Like that bull in the china shop, all the rest of us see is sheer chaos, noise and destruction.

    Personally, I think he just makes it up every day. His only plan being today's headline.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Hmmmm

      His bosses have a plan.

      To stop ZTE selling to Iran.

      To move an embassy and recognise the capital.

      To pull out of a nuclear disarmament deal that was apparently working.

      To pull out of part of the UN for calling them to task over murder and cut aid unless they do what they say.

      To have a trade war with everyone else making imports especially arms much more attractive from this country. It only has to last long enough for supply chains to change. It's also a useful bargaining tool to get other countries to agree with you.

      and to think some people think it was the Russians that put him in power. Really though, who does he actually work for?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Hmmmm

        Down votes for stating facts. Please feel free to pick apart my rational and include what he's done for Russia which is nothing or do you think what I have said has something to do with the mythical sky god or represents prejudice? Which it does not.

        1. Tom 38

          Re: Hmmmm

          Please feel free to pick apart my rational and include what he's done for Russia

          He has alienated the rest of the world against America, reducing its soft and hard power. A weak America means a stronger Russia.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Hmmmm

            How? He hasn't lifted sanctions (and I doubt he can due to congress) and it's not worth having a trade war when you only export 7bn and import 17bn (2017). I'm just not seeing what Russia is getting out of this other than immaterial disruption. It's not like his trade war with the EU will push them to trade with Russia as the sanctions in place aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

  3. Waseem Alkurdi

    TL;DR

    Trump has clipped off the Chinese rooster's wings?

    Edit: if we were talking about Huawei, that would've made a good pun ;-(

  4. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    The international building site

    Presumably, Trump did things like this in the past: you want to do the cabling the new building? then pay may 2%…

    The Chinese played along for the theatre. The money sounds a lot until you see ZTE's balance sheet. It's like the fines imposed on the banks: great headlines but generally tax-deductibe charges on massive balance sheets.

    1. onefang
      Coat

      Re: The international building site

      "The money sounds a lot until you see ZTE's balance sheet."

      Quote from the article -

      "lodgement of US$400 in escrow"

      Doesn't sound like a lot of money to me, my rental bond is bigger.

      Yes, I know, it's a typo in the article. I'll get my coat, it's the one with US$400 in the pocket, coz US$400 million wont fit.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    A question regarding Drumpf

    I have a question regarding Drumpf, is there anyone in there? Or is he the product of an unnatural medical experiment performed by some mad scientist in a south American jungle, the mutant spawn of mixing the DNA of Emperor Palatine and Chauncey Gardiner.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A question regarding Drumpf

      Nah, he's just the latest attempt at Frankensteins Monster..

  6. DerGoat
    Pint

    Discussion

    At least a discussion is happening here, not just flaming.

    Perhaps I am "Dumb enough to be an American".

    Some of us "dumb" Americans are tired of seeing ridiculous trade imbalances.

    For example, Canada can ship us as much wood (timber) as it wants to because it has vast virginal forests and they don't necessarily have to replant those forest because it uses that newly cleared land for farming. OK, but then they block our dairy exports to them because they have to protect the "artisanal" dairy farmers who make homemade cheese. Artisanal cheese is nice and everything, but they block our yogurt producers and milk producers. They think it it's OK to ship us as much timber as they can cut down, but they can't take our milk because it might harm their milk and cheese producers. This is not how free trade is supposed to work.

    Real world example: I produce honey (well, the bees do). It's a labor of love. Harvesting the honey from a colony of bees will produce (on a good harvesting, only two a year) 40 lbs of honey, which we can sell slowly for $8 per pound. Gross profit is $320. Deduct our time and supplies and it is a break even thing we do because we love nature.

    But any honey imported from Central America can be adulterated by 20% and still be sold as 100% pure honey. This is hardly fair trade. And this is what people in the US are angry about. The trade agreements are hardly "fair". Yes, Trump can be an ass. But no one else is fighting for us, so we are willing to put up with an ass.

    Just my two cents worth.

    1. Tim Seventh

      Re: Discussion

      Some of us "dumb" Americans are tired of seeing ridiculous trade imbalances.

      Well yes literally everyone around the world hates globalization so you are not along, but you must have followed trump way too much (I am putting this nicely).

      Trump is a live actor, saying whatever and doing whatever that "feels right". "dumb" Americans hate globalization and trade imbalances, so trump says I'll fix it with a ban hammer, which is bad not because of the result but the process.

      Let's use your honey example. You procedure honey but Central America can manufacture more and import more and it is unfair. So we let trump use the instant ban hammer. BAM! All industries like cake / biscuit / bread makers in the America depend on cheap honey are now forced to buy alternatives. Those who couldn't face bankruptcy and layoff all the workers, because typical customers purchase only the cheapest. Those few who could survive, with loyal customers, raise the price of their products indirectly raise the price of other those products and similar ones.

      With higher priced products, consumers are now forced to pay for an increased price at the same wage, and they continue to be angry. You think that's over? Well if it's on a small scale then yes. If not, no it's not over. Those mass of America workers who got laid-off from those industries now lower the demand of overall country's purchase power due to unemployment, which decrease all sales in the country. With decrease in sales, some other none related industries now also face bankruptcy and laying-off more workers. With the market stability destroyed, it becomes a depression.

      The correct approach to fix trade imbalances is to slowly apply the restriction, which in terms slow the depression into small recessions. With small recession, fewer industries face bankruptcy and fewer people get laid off, while more industries and workers have time to find alternatives. This keeps market stability for a strong future.

      So to put it this way (nicely), knowledgeable people around the world and Americans know this and know how "dumb" trump is for doing this and know how "dumb" Americans can't see this. Once the damage snowballs, it can go out of control (History: The Great Depression).

      Everyone know a lot of things are done with good intention (increase job), but knowledgeable people can see right through the problem it can cause (destroying the market).

      Here's a tip, learn more and listen fewer trump. Just my 2 cents.

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