中興如何成為了中美地緣政治對弈的核心？

President Trump has said that he will help save ZTE, a Chinese electronics maker. The company was on the brink of collapse after United States officials punished it last month for breaking American sanctions against countries including Iran and North Korea.

特朗普總統(tǒng)已表示，他將幫助挽救中國電子產(chǎn)品制造商中興通訊(ZTE)。美國官員上個月懲罰中興之后，這家公司已處于崩潰的邊緣，懲罰的原因是中興違反了美國對包括伊朗和朝鮮在內(nèi)的國家的制裁。

Here’s a look at how a Chinese electronics maker with an awkward name came to be at the center of a geopolitical chess match between Beijing and Washington.

下面介紹一下這家英文名稱略不順口的中國電子產(chǎn)品制造商是怎樣變成北京與華盛頓地緣政治對弈的核心的。

What Is ZTE?

ZTE是什么?

Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment isn’t a household name in most places. Known as ZTE, it is probably best known for making cheap smartphones that are mostly sold in developing countries, though it also sells them in the United States.

中興通訊設備在世界上大多數(shù)地方并不是一個家喻戶曉的名字。這家英文簡稱ZTE的公司，以生產(chǎn)主要是在發(fā)展中國家銷售、但在美國也有銷售的廉價智能手機而聞名。

But in the telecommunications world, the ZTE name carries significant weight. It is one of two Chinese companies — Huawei is the other — that sells equipment for cellular networks. It has about 75,000 employees and says it does business in more than 160 countries.

然而，中興的名子在電信技術(shù)領域仍有相當大的分量。它是銷售蜂窩網(wǎng)絡設備的兩家中國公司之一，另一家是華為。中興有約7.5萬名員工，自稱在160多個國家有業(yè)務。

That makes it an important geopolitical pawn for Beijing, both as an innovator and as a builder of state-funded projects overseas. If China wants to improve ties with a government in the developing world, it often offers loans that can be used to set a ZTE-powered cellular network.

這讓它成為北京的地緣政治上的一個重要棋子，它既是一個創(chuàng)新者，也是國家投資海外項目的建設者。如果中國想改善與某個發(fā)展中國家政府的關系的話，政府通常會向該國提供用于采購中興設備建立蜂窩網(wǎng)絡的貸款。

Longer term, China hopes that companies like ZTE will become powerhouses that can help the country wean itself from a reliance on American tech firms, which Beijing views as security threats because of the possibility that they could help Washington spy. 它是如何違反法令的?

How Did It Break Sanctions?

從長遠來看，中國希望中興這樣的公司能夠成為幫助中國擺脫對美國技術(shù)公司依賴的主力軍，北京把美國技術(shù)公司視為安全威脅，因為它們有幫助華盛頓對中國進行間諜活動的可能性。

Tech supply chains are so intertwined these days that just about every product that ZTE makes has some American components or software in it — think microchips, modems and Google’s Android operating system. So if ZTE sells a smartphone to North Korea, it might also be selling a Qualcomm chip inside that phone. That’s illegal under American sanctions that prohibit the sale of United States tech to embargoed countries.

技術(shù)產(chǎn)品的供應鏈如今已變得如此地緊密相聯(lián)，以至于中興生產(chǎn)的差不多每個產(chǎn)品中都有美國的零部件或軟件——比如微芯片、調(diào)制解調(diào)器和谷歌的Android操作系統(tǒng)。所以，如果中興把一部智能手機賣給朝鮮的話，它可能也在那部手機里把一個高通芯片賣給了朝鮮。那是非法的，因為美國的制裁禁止向禁運國家銷售美國技術(shù)產(chǎn)品。

When the Commerce Department released its findings against ZTE in 2016, it took the rare step of disclosing evidence of the company’s guilt. One document, signed by several senior ZTE executives, cautioned that American export laws were a risk because the company was selling to “all five major embargoed countries — Iran, Sudan, North Korea, Syria and Cuba.”

美國商務部在2016年公布對中興的調(diào)查結(jié)果時，采取了一個罕見的做法，商務部披露了中興違規(guī)行為的證據(jù)。一份有幾位中興高管簽名的文件警告說，美國的出口法對公司來說是一種風險，因為公司在向“所有五個主要禁運國家——伊朗、蘇丹、朝鮮、敘利亞和古巴”銷售產(chǎn)品。

A second company document featured flow charts for best practices to circumvent American sanctions. Last year, ZTE acknowledged its guilt and paid a $1.19 billion fine.

另一份公司文件中給出了繞過美國制裁的最佳實踐流程圖。去年，中興承認了自己違規(guī)，并支付了11.9億美元的罰款。

How Did the U.S. Hobble ZTE?

美國如何處置中興?

The Commerce Department wasn’t done with that hefty penalty.

美國商務部并沒有因為巨額罰款而就此了事。

Last month, officials said ZTE had violated its agreement with the United States because it didn’t punish senior management for having violated the sanctions. Instead, the Commerce Department said, ZTE paid them bonuses and lied about it. As punishment, the department forbade American technology companies from selling their products to ZTE for seven years.

商務部官員上個月說，中興違反了與美國的協(xié)議，因為中興沒有對違反制裁的高管進行懲罰。商務部說，不僅沒有懲罰，中興還向他們發(fā)了獎金，并在發(fā)獎金這件事上撒謊。作為懲罰，商務部禁止美國技術(shù)公司在未來七年向中興銷售產(chǎn)品。

That means no Qualcomm chips or Android software for its phones, and no American chips or other components for its cellular gear. Analysts estimate that four-fifths of ZTE’s products have American companies. ZTE went into a tailspin, saying last week that it had shut down major operations.

這意味著，中興的手機不能用高通公司的芯片或Android軟件，中興的移動設備也不能用美國的芯片或其他部件。據(jù)分析人士估計，中興80%的產(chǎn)品里有美國公司的東西。中興進入失控狀態(tài)，上周宣布已停止主要經(jīng)營活動。

Why is Trump Intervening?

為什么特朗普會介入此事?

The American president hasn’t explained his decision to try to help the company, other than to cite the potential for lots of Chinese workers to lose their jobs. But ZTE’s troubles come at a complicated moment.

美國總統(tǒng)并沒有解釋他試圖幫助中興的決定，只是提到許多中國工人有失去工作的可能性。但中興的困境出現(xiàn)在一個復雜的時刻。

In normal times, the company’s fate would be a legal matter for the Commerce Department. But the Trump administration is pressuring China to make trade concessions. It may also need Beijing’s help to strike a deal with North Korea as Washington and Pyongyang plan a high-profile meeting next month in Singapore.

在正常情況下，這家公司的命運原本是商務部的一個法律問題。但特朗普政府正在迫使中國做出貿(mào)易讓步。特朗普政府在與朝鮮達成協(xié)議上可能也需要北京方面的幫助，華盛頓和平壤正計劃于下月在新加坡舉行舉世矚目的峰會。

By offering to intervene, Mr. Trump has effectively suggested that ZTE’s punishment could be a bargaining chip in negotiations with China, rather than a matter of law enforcement. It isn’t clear whether he will follow through on his offer to help the company or whether he will get something in return if he does.

特朗普愿意出面干預的表示實際上已經(jīng)暗示，對中興的懲罰可能是與中國談判的討價還價籌碼，而不是一個執(zhí)法問題。目前還不清楚，特朗普是否會把要幫助中興的表示付諸行動，也不清楚，如果他那樣做的話，是否會得到某種回報。

A One-Off or Part of a Trend?

是一次性的還是趨勢下的一部分?

The fight over ZTE is emblematic of deeper issues in the relationship between China and the United States, the world’s two largest economies.

圍繞著中興的角逐，是世界上兩個最大的經(jīng)濟體、中國和美國的關系上更深層次問題的象征。

Neither country trusts the equipment made by the other, particularly after Edward Snowden disclosed how United States intelligence officials turned to American companies to snoop.

中美兩國都不信任對方制造的設備，尤其是在愛德華·斯諾登(Edward Snowden)披露了美國情報官員為進行窺探向美國公司求助之后。

With a technological cold war already getting frosty, such squabbles over intertwined supply chains and diverging interests are likely to proliferate.

隨著一場技術(shù)冷戰(zhàn)已進入嚴冬，這種圍繞著緊密相聯(lián)的供應鏈與分歧的利益的爭論可能會越來越多。