美商務部禁令：中興七年內(nèi)將無法使用美國技術

SHANGHAI — China’s second-largest maker of telecommunications equipment will not be able to use components made in the United States after the Commerce Department said it failed to punish employees who violated American sanctions against Iran and North Korea.

上海——中國第二大電信設備制造商將無法使用美國制造的零部件，因為美國商務部稱其沒有懲罰違反美國對伊朗和朝鮮制裁規(guī)定的員工。

The ban announced Monday, which effectively locks the company, ZTE Corporation, out of American technology for seven years, is a blow to one of China’s few truly international technology suppliers.

于周一公布的該禁令，實際上會導致這家名為中興通訊的公司在七年內(nèi)無法使用美國技術，對它來說是一大打擊。中興是中國為數(shù)不多的真正國際化的技術供應商之一。

ZTE’s products for the infrastructure of telecommunications networks, as well as its smartphones, use an array of American parts, like microprocessors from the chip maker Qualcomm, glass made by Corning and sound technology from San Francisco-based Dolby.

中興用于電信網(wǎng)絡基礎設施的產(chǎn)品，以及它的智能手機，使用了大量美國零部件，比如芯片制造商高通(Qualcomm)的微處理器、康寧(Corning)的玻璃和舊金山杜比公司(Dolby)的聲音技術。

In a call with reporters on Monday, a senior Commerce Department official said the action was not connected to a broader intellectual property investigation into China.

美國商務部的一名高級官員周一接受記者的電話采訪時表示，這次行動與對中國進行更廣泛的知識產(chǎn)權調(diào)查無關。

But the tough restrictions on ZTE may be perceived as a new salvo in a deepening economic conflict between the United States and China as the Trump administration and the Chinese government trade threats of increased tariffs on everything from washing machines to soy beans. The Trump administration’s move to counter what it terms unfair trade practices by China has prompted threats of hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs on products that travel between the two countries.

但隨著特朗普政府和中國政府互相威脅要對從洗衣機到大豆的一切商品加征關稅，美中兩國之間的經(jīng)濟沖突不斷加劇，對中興的嚴格限制可能會被認為是新一輪行動。特朗普政府對其稱為中國不公平貿(mào)易做法的反擊之舉，引發(fā)了對往來兩國之間的產(chǎn)品征收數(shù)千億美元關稅的威脅。

That trade clash now centers heavily on cutting-edge technology. The Trump administration accuses China of using coercion and illicit means to obtain American technology. In particular, it has criticized an industrial plan known as Made in China 2025 that seeks to make China a world leader in industries like robotics, electric cars and medical devices.

現(xiàn)在，這場貿(mào)易沖突主要集中在尖端技術上。特朗普政府指責中國利用脅迫和非法手段獲取美國技術。它對于一個名為《中國制造2025》的工業(yè)計劃尤其不滿。該計劃尋求在機器人、電動汽車和醫(yī)療設備等行業(yè)讓中國成為世界領導者。

In a bid to stop China from dominating these industries, the White House has proposed limiting American exports of semiconductors and advanced machinery to the country. That could happen through new investment restrictions, which are slated to be announced in the coming months.

白宮試圖阻止中國主導這些行業(yè)，提議限制美國面向中國的半導體和先進機械出口。這可能會通過新的投資限制來實現(xiàn)，相關限制將在未來幾個月公布。

While China has long been viewed as the lower-cost producer for technology companies in the United States, it has in recent years gained considerable ground in areas like artificial intelligence. Last year, China unveiled a plan to become the world leader in artificial intelligence and create an industry worth $150 billion to its economy by 2030.

盡管中國長期被視為美國科技公司的低成本生產(chǎn)商，但近年來，中國在人工智能等領域取得了相當大的進展。去年，中國公布了在人工智能領域成為世界領導者，到2030年時將其打造成一個價值1500億美元(約合9400億元人民幣)產(chǎn)業(yè)的計劃。

In a Twitter post Monday morning, President Trump also took aim at China, accusing the country of devaluing its currency.

在周一上午的一條推文中，特朗普總統(tǒng)也把矛頭對準了中國，指責中國讓自己的貨幣貶值。

The president’s criticism contradicted a report released just three days earlier by the Treasury Department that scolded China for its lack of progress in reducing the bilateral trade deficit with the United States, but did not find that it was improperly devaluing its currency.

總統(tǒng)的指責與財政部三天前才發(fā)布的一份報告相互矛盾。該報告指責中國在減少與美國的雙邊貿(mào)易逆差方面缺乏進展，但沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)中國以不正當?shù)姆绞阶屪约旱呢泿刨H值。

China, the Treasury report said, has allowed its currency to appreciate only gradually, and “the distortion in the global trading system resulting from China’s currency policy over this period imposed significant and long-lasting hardship on American workers and companies.”

財政部的報告稱，中國只允許其貨幣逐步升值，“在此期間中國的貨幣政策導致的全球貿(mào)易系統(tǒng)扭曲，給美國勞動者和企業(yè)造成了嚴重而持久的困難”。

ZTE representatives could not be reached for comment.

記者無法聯(lián)系到中興通訊的代表置評。

ZTE’s troubles with the American government predate recent tensions. Last year, the Chinese company agreed to pay $1.19 billion in fines in a settlement that followed a multiyear investigation into claims that the company sold electronics to Iran and North Korea, a violation of economic sanctions imposed by the United States against the countries.

早在近期的緊張局勢出現(xiàn)之前，中興就與美國政府有了矛盾。中興據(jù)稱曾向伊朗、朝鮮出售電子產(chǎn)品，違反了美國向這些國家施加的經(jīng)濟制裁。在接受了數(shù)年的調(diào)查之后，這家中國公司在一份協(xié)議中同意繳納11.9億美元的罰款。

Before the settlement, the Commerce Department had provided two internal ZTE documents to bolster its case.

在協(xié)議達成前，商務部拿出了兩份中興內(nèi)部文件以支持此案。

One, from 2011 and signed by several senior ZTE executives, detailed how the company had “ongoing projects in all five major embargoed countries — Iran, Sudan, North Korea, Syria and Cuba.” Another document, in a complex flow chart, laid out a method for circumventing United States export controls.

其中一份文件來自2011年，由中興多個高級管理人員簽署。協(xié)議詳述了公司如何“在所有五個主要禁運國——伊朗、蘇丹、朝鮮、敘利亞和古巴持有正在進行的項目”。另一份文件則用一個復雜的流程圖展示了規(guī)避美國出口管制的辦法。

The 2017 settlement, which did not block ZTE from buying technology made in the United States, appeared to be a reprieve for the Chinese tech company.

2017年的協(xié)議并未限制中興購買美國制造的技術，這似乎給了中國科技企業(yè)一線生機。

But the Commerce Department said Monday that ZTE had violated the terms of the earlier agreement by making false statements to the United States government. ZTE did not take a number of actions that it said it had: the company did not reprimand employees involved in the banned sales and did not cancel their bonuses.

但商務部周一表示，中興違反了先前的協(xié)議條款，對美國政府作了虛假陳述。中興并未實踐它自稱已經(jīng)做到了的某些行動：該公司并未懲戒參與禁運的員工，也沒有取消他們的獎金。

“ZTE misled the Department of Commerce,” Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, said in a statement. “Insead of reprimanding ZTE staff and senior management, ZTE rewarded them. This egregious behavior cannot be ignored.”

“中興通訊誤導了商務部，”商務部長威爾伯·羅斯(Wilbur Ross)在一份聲明中表示。“中興通訊不僅沒有懲戒員工和高級管理人員，還對其進行嘉獎。這種惡劣行為不容忽視。”

The department said it would reinstate the limits on the company that the 2017 settlement had set aside.

商務部表示，將恢復在2017年協(xié)議中擱置的對該公司的限制。

Without access to key components from companies in the United States, ZTE’s smartphones will likely have to be redesigned. Even if new suppliers can be found, the transition will represent a significant disruption to production of the company’s phones.

如果無法從美國公司獲取重要零部件，中興的智能手機可能必須進行重新設計。即使可以夠找到新的供應商，也會對公司的手機生產(chǎn)造成重大影響。

The ban also comes at a bad time for ZTE. Revenue from the expansion of Chinese 4G cellular networks has slowed, and its smartphone business faces major competition from new Chinese handset makers, as well as its much larger Chinese rival, Huawei.

對中興來說，禁令來得也不是時候。來自中國4G蜂窩網(wǎng)絡擴張的收入已經(jīng)放緩，其智能手機業(yè)務還要面對來自中國新興手機制造商，以及比它大得多的對手——華為的巨大競爭。

Huawei also faces an investigation into whether it broke sanctions on Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, The New York Times has reported. Huawei has long been suspected of committing espionage for China. In January, AT&T abruptly pulled out of a deal to carry Huawei’s top-of-the-line smartphone, appearing to bend to pressure from Washington over security concerns.

據(jù)《紐約時報》報道，華為也面臨著是否違反了對古巴、伊朗、蘇丹和敘利亞貿(mào)易禁令的調(diào)查。華為長期被人懷疑在為中國進行間諜活動。今年1月，AT&T似乎是屈服于華盛頓對安全問題擔憂的壓力，突然撤出了一個銷售華為頂級智能手機的交易。

With the United States increasingly focused on barring China from accessing its high-tech products through tariffs and investment restrictions, the new punishment for the Chinese company could be viewed as an escalation.

通過關稅和投資限制，美國越來越重視阻止中國獲取美國的高科技產(chǎn)品，而本次對中興的新懲罰可以視為一種升級。

In response to the initial settlement, ZTE said it had strengthened its compliance policies and changed its top management.

作為對初期協(xié)議的回應，中興表示已經(jīng)加強了對有關政策的遵守，并更換了最高管理層。

“ZTE acknowledges the mistakes it made, takes responsibility for them and remains committed to positive change in the company,” said Zhao Xianming, chairman and chief executive of ZTE, in a statement last year.

“中興通訊承認違反美國出口管制相關法律法規(guī)，愿意承擔相應的責任。公司將繼續(xù)積極致力于變革，”中興董事長兼總裁趙先明在去年的一份聲明中說。