美商务部禁令：中兴七年内将无法使用美国技术
上海——中国第二大电信设备制造商将无法使用美国制造的零部件，因为美国商务部称其没有惩罚违反美国对伊朗和朝鲜制裁规定的员工。
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.
于周一公布的该禁令，实际上会导致这家名为中兴通讯的公司在七年内无法使用美国技术，对它来说是一大打击。中兴是中国为数不多的真正国际化的技术供应商之一。
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.
中兴用于电信网络基础设施的产品，以及它的智能手机，使用了大量美国零部件，比如芯片制造商高通(Qualcomm)的微处理器、康宁(Corning)的玻璃和旧金山杜比公司(Dolby)的声音技术。
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.
美国商务部的一名高级官员周一接受记者的电话采访时表示，这次行动与对中国进行更广泛的知识产权调查无关。
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.
但随着特朗普政府和中国政府互相威胁要对从洗衣机到大豆的一切商品加征关税，美中两国之间的经济冲突不断加剧，对中兴的严格限制可能会被认为是新一轮行动。特朗普政府对其称为中国不公平贸易做法的反击之举，引发了对往来两国之间的产品征收数千亿美元关税的威胁。
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.
现在，这场贸易冲突主要集中在尖端技术上。特朗普政府指责中国利用胁迫和非法手段获取美国技术。它对于一个名为《中国制造2025》的工业计划尤其不满。该计划寻求在机器人、电动汽车和医疗设备等行业让中国成为世界领导者。
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.
白宫试图阻止中国主导这些行业，提议限制美国面向中国的半导体和先进机械出口。这可能会通过新的投资限制来实现，相关限制将在未来几个月公布。
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.
尽管中国长期被视为美国科技公司的低成本生产商，但近年来，中国在人工智能等领域取得了相当大的进展。去年，中国公布了在人工智能领域成为世界领导者，到2030年时将其打造成一个价值1500亿美元(约合9400亿元人民币)产业的计划。
In a Twitter post Monday morning, President Trump also took aim at China, accusing the country of devaluing its currency.
在周一上午的一条推文中，特朗普总统也把矛头对准了中国，指责中国让自己的货币贬值。
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.
总统的指责与财政部三天前才发布的一份报告相互矛盾。该报告指责中国在减少与美国的双边贸易逆差方面缺乏进展，但没有发现中国以不正当的方式让自己的货币贬值。
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.”
财政部的报告称，中国只允许其货币逐步升值，“在此期间中国的货币政策导致的全球贸易系统扭曲，给美国劳动者和企业造成了严重而持久的困难”。
ZTE representatives could not be reached for comment.
记者无法联系到中兴通讯的代表置评。
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.
早在近期的紧张局势出现之前，中兴就与美国政府有了矛盾。中兴据称曾向伊朗、朝鲜出售电子产品，违反了美国向这些国家施加的经济制裁。在接受了数年的调查之后，这家中国公司在一份协议中同意缴纳11.9亿美元的罚款。
Before the settlement, the Commerce Department had provided two internal ZTE documents to bolster its case.
在协议达成前，商务部拿出了两份中兴内部文件以支持此案。
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.
其中一份文件来自2011年，由中兴多个高级管理人员签署。协议详述了公司如何“在所有五个主要禁运国——伊朗、苏丹、朝鲜、叙利亚和古巴持有正在进行的项目”。另一份文件则用一个复杂的流程图展示了规避美国出口管制的办法。
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年的协议并未限制中兴购买美国制造的技术，这似乎给了中国科技企业一线生机。
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.
但商务部周一表示，中兴违反了先前的协议条款，对美国政府作了虚假陈述。中兴并未实践它自称已经做到了的某些行动：该公司并未惩戒参与禁运的员工，也没有取消他们的奖金。
“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.”
“中兴通讯误导了商务部，”商务部长威尔伯·罗斯(Wilbur Ross)在一份声明中表示。“中兴通讯不仅没有惩戒员工和高级管理人员，还对其进行嘉奖。这种恶劣行为不容忽视。”
The department said it would reinstate the limits on the company that the 2017 settlement had set aside.
商务部表示，将恢复在2017年协议中搁置的对该公司的限制。
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.
如果无法从美国公司获取重要零部件，中兴的智能手机可能必须进行重新设计。即使可以够找到新的供应商，也会对公司的手机生产造成重大影响。
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.
对中兴来说，禁令来得也不是时候。来自中国4G蜂窝网络扩张的收入已经放缓，其智能手机业务还要面对来自中国新兴手机制造商，以及比它大得多的对手——华为的巨大竞争。
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.
据《纽约时报》报道，华为也面临着是否违反了对古巴、伊朗、苏丹和叙利亚贸易禁令的调查。华为长期被人怀疑在为中国进行间谍活动。今年1月，AT&T似乎是屈服于华盛顿对安全问题担忧的压力，突然撤出了一个销售华为顶级智能手机的交易。
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.
通过关税和投资限制，美国越来越重视阻止中国获取美国的高科技产品，而本次对中兴的新惩罚可以视为一种升级。
In response to the initial settlement, ZTE said it had strengthened its compliance policies and changed its top management.
作为对初期协议的回应，中兴表示已经加强了对有关政策的遵守，并更换了最高管理层。
“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.
“中兴通讯承认违反美国出口管制相关法律法规，愿意承担相应的责任。公司将继续积极致力于变革，”中兴董事长兼总裁赵先明在去年的一份声明中说。
