外媒：中兴或承担超10亿美元罚款，美国国会为何紧揪中兴不放？

WASHINGTON—Lawmakers are moving to thwart Trump administration efforts to ease restrictions on Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE Corp. and other sensitive technology, citing fears the positions would compromise national security in the latest twist in trade negotiations between the world’s largest economies.

美国国会议员正试图阻止特朗普(Donald Trump)政府放松对中国电信巨头中兴通讯股份有限公司(ZTE Co.,简称：中兴通讯)及其他敏感技术的限制，担心白宫在美中贸易谈判中的这种立场会使美国国家安全受到威胁。

The Senate Banking Committee unanimously approved legislation on Tuesday that would tighten national-security reviews of Chinese technology deals by the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., strengthen export controls and prohibit the Trump administration from lifting stiff penalties imposed on ZTE.

参议院银行委员会(Senate Banking Committee)周二全票通过一项法案，将使跨机构的美国海外投资委员会(Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.，简称CFIUS)收紧对中国科技交易的国家安全评估，从而加强出口控制，并禁止特朗普政府取消对中兴通讯的严厉惩罚。

The U.S. and China recently agreed on the broad outlines of a deal that would allow U.S. companies to once again supply ZTE with components, lifting a ban that threatens to put the company out of business.

美中最近就中兴通讯达成和解框架，将允许美国公司恢复对中兴通讯的组件供应，从而解除了一项可能导致中兴停业的禁令。

The U.S. has accused the company of failing to punish employees who violated sanctions against Iran and North Korea, but President Donald Trump recently held out the prospect of a reprieve in a gesture to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

美国此前指责中兴通讯没有处罚违反伊朗和朝鲜制裁的员工，但美国总统特朗普最近向中国国家主席习近平做出姿态，表示可能减轻对中兴通讯的处罚。

Also on Tuesday, a bipartisan group of 27 senators urged the heads of the U.S. trade representative’s office and Treasury and Commerce departments to reject any proposals to ease export controls on technology as a way to boost sales to China.

同样在周二，一个由27名民主党和共和党参议员组成的团体敦促美国贸易代表办公室、财政部和商务部负责人反对任何放松科技出口控制以增加对华出口的提议。

The letter, led by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas and signed by other top Republicans and Democrats—including Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Senate Banking Committee ranking Democrat Sherrod Brown of Ohio—also condemned the prospective deal on ZTE.

这封信件由参议院多数党党鞭、得克萨斯州议员John Cornyn牵头，并由其他高层共和党和民主党议员联合签署，其中包括佛罗里达州共和党参议员马尔科?鲁比奥(Marco Rubio)、少数党领袖、纽约州议员舒默(Chuck Schumer)以及参议院银行委员会(Senate Banking Committee)俄亥俄州民主党参议员Sherrod Brown。信中还谴责了白宫可能与中兴通讯达成的协议。

As part of the ZTE negotiations, Beijing would remove tariffs on billions of dollars of U.S. farm products, according to people with knowledge of the matter in both countries. The Trump administration also is seeking Beijing’s help to facilitate denuclearization talks with North Korea.

据知情人士透露，作为中兴通讯谈判的一部分，中国政府将取消数十亿美元美国农产品的关税。同时，特朗普政府也在寻求中国协助，推进与朝鲜的无核化谈判。

In remarks at the White House on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said he envisioned a fine of more than $1 billion for ZTE, potentially reaching $1.3 billion, and that he believed ZTE should install new leadership and buy more American products. He said he was concerned about any action against ZTE hurting American companies that already sold parts to it.

特朗普周二在白宫发表讲话说，他预计中兴通讯将面临超过10亿美元的罚款，可能达到13亿美元，他认为中兴通讯应该更换管理层，并购买更多美国产品。特朗普还表示，他担心对中兴通讯采取的行动可能会损害目前向中兴出售零部件的美国公司。

The White House has denied that it is using enforcement actions against ZTE as a bargaining chip in the trade talks with China.

白宫否认在对华贸易谈判中拿针对中兴通讯的执法行动当筹码。

ZTE has been protesting the Commerce Department’s decision last month to ban American companies from selling it products, which swiftly crippled the Chinese firm.

中兴通讯抗议美国商务部上个月做出的禁止美国公司向其出售产品的决定，这项决定导致这家中国公司迅速陷入瘫痪。

On the export-control issue, the Cornyn letter warned the Treasury, Commerce, and the U.S. trade representative’s office against easing export controls on militarily important technology, a move that some in the administration have been considering as a way to boost exports.

Cornyn的信件就出口控制问题向美国财政部、商务部和美国贸易代表办公室提出警告，反对放松具有军事重要性的技术的出口限制。美国政府内部一些官员一直在考虑将放松这类限制作为提振出口的一种方式。

“We strongly urge you to reject any proposal by China to loosen existing restrictions on the export or other transfer of these sensitive U.S. technologies,” the letter said. “Any such move would bolster China’s aggressive military modernization and significantly undermine long-term U.S. national security interests.”

信中称：“我们强烈敦促你们不要放松对美国敏感技术的出口或其他转让的限制，拒绝中国提出的所有相关提议，因为任何这类行动都将强化中国积极的军事现代化进程，并严重损害美国的长期国家安全利益。”

In early May, China delivered to U.S. negotiators in Beijing a trade proposal calling for the U.S. to ease export controls, especially on semiconductors. Beijing asked the U.S. to allow the sale of those high-tech goods that aren’t subject to export controls in other Western nations. Such requests have long been part of China’s negotiating agenda. But they have either been rejected or deferred by the U.S.

中国政府5月初在北京向美国谈判代表递交了一份贸易提案，要求美国放松出口管制，特别是在半导体领域。中国政府要求美国允许销售那些不受其他西方国家出口管制的高科技产品。这种要求一直是中国谈判议程的一部分。但这些要求要么被美国拒绝，要么被推迟。

In this case, said several people briefed on the matter, Treasury officials explored fulfilling China’s request. National-security officials objected and the matter was dropped, but not without hard feelings among security officials who felt the exploration suggested, at least, naivete on the part of U.S. negotiators.

据知情人士透露，美国财政部官员曾经探讨过满足中国的这种要求。虽然此事在美国国家安全官员反对下作罢，但国家安全官员对此感到不快，他们认为，这至少表明美国的谈判代表有些天真。