‘Give ZTE the death sentence’ say senators as White House vows to resist repeal of Donald Trump’s deal
On Monday the Senate inserted wording into a defence bill that would repeal Trump’s deal; now the White House hopes to alter or remove that amendment
US Senators demanded a “death sentence” for ZTE Corp. late on Wednesday as they encouraged the passage of an amendment that will repeal US President Donald Trump’s deal with the Chinese company – hours after the White House vowed to fight their plan.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas urged the senate to approve a change to a defence bill that will reinstate the original harsh penalties the US Commerce Department had imposed on China’s second biggest telecom company.
“These companies have proven themselves to be untrustworthy,” said Cotton. “At this point, the only fitting punishment is to give them the death sentence. That is to put them out of business in the United States.”
Van Hollen, supporting Cotton’s view, added that ZTE is “a multiple and flagrant violator of US sanction laws and we can’t let them off the hook with the slap on the wrist”.
Both Van Hollen and Cotton were members of the the bipartisan group of senators that, late on Monday, agreed to include the amendment in the must-pass National Defence Authorisation Act.