China Briefing | ZTE mess shows need to change the ‘Chinese way of doing business’
Amid all the high-pitch propaganda surrounding a possible deal between Washington and Beijing, less attention has been devoted to the holes the telecom giant dug for itself and neglected to fix
US media have portrayed his decision to help ZTE “to get back into business” as part of a ploy to avert a possible trade war as the Chinese and Americans resumed talks in Washington last week.
Chinese media, however, have seen Trump’s reprieve for ZTE as a victory for Beijing’s strident responses to Washington’s threats to impose tariffs on imported Chinese goods and punish its hi-tech companies.
US tech ban on ZTE has exposed China’s Achilles’ heel
Last month, Washington announced its decision to ban US companies from selling parts to ZTE, which it accuses of making illegal shipments to Iran and North Korea. The ban effectively jeopardised ZTE’s survival. Ever since then, Chinese media have focused on condemning a US agenda to curb China’s technological advances and highlighting a dire need for China to develop its own core technologies.
Amid all the high-pitched propaganda, less attention and debate have been devoted to the holes ZTE has dug itself and neglected to fix, which is how it got into trouble in the first place. That is a shame.
ZTE row shows China still needs international tech to shine — bravado only fuels Western worries
More importantly, this should highlight the sore need to change “the Chinese way of doing business”, which often ignores ethics, laws and regulations in pursuit of profits.