Trump defends ZTE comments

President Trump on Monday defended his comments supporting Chinese telecommunications company ZTE, saying it is part of ongoing trade negotiations with China and “my personal relationship with President Xi.”

“ZTE, the largest Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from U.S. companies. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi,” Trump tweeted.

ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from U.S. companies. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 14, 2018

Trump caught Washington by surprise on Sunday when he tweeted that he is working with Chinese President Xi Jinping to get ZTE “back into business, fast.”

{mosads}“Too many jobs in China lost,” Trump tweeted, adding that he’d directed the Commerce Department to work on assisting ZTE.

President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2018

The Commerce Department last month banned American companies from selling components to ZTE because the Chinese firm violated U.S. sanctions by selling equipment to Iran. 

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and other lawmakers criticized the president’s outreach, arguing he was prioritizing Chinese jobs over American workers and that ZTE represented a national security threat.

The White House faced multiple questions during Monday’s press briefing about the president’s pledge to assist ZTE.

Deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah told reporters that Trump has directed the Commerce Department to look into the matter, which is part of a “complex relationship” between China and the U.S.

“It’s an issue of high concern for China that’s been raised with the U.S. government and with our administration at various levels,” he said.

Shah disputed suggestions that Trump’s willingness to help ZTE conflicts with his comments during the 2016 campaign in which he railed against China for taking American jobs.

Trump has often blasted China for its “one-sided” trade practices, but has also insisted that he and Xi have a positive relationship.

“President Xi and I will always be friends, no matter what happens with our dispute on trade,” Trump said last month as China and the United States exchanged tariff threats.