中興“死里逃生”，未來仍不明朗

BEIJING — The Chinese electronics maker ZTE has survived its brush with death. Now it has to figure out how to stay in business.

北京——中國電子產(chǎn)品制造商中興與死神擦肩而過?，F(xiàn)在，它必須想清楚怎么經(jīng)營下去。

With this week’s deal to replace near-fatal American sanctions on the telecommunications giant with a $1 billion fine, the company will be able to get back to making smartphones and network equipment. Barred from buying American-made components for the past two months, it halted operations and will now have to mend relations with customers.

在本周達成協(xié)議，用10億美元(約合64億元人民幣)的罰款換取美國解除近乎致命的處罰措施后，這家電信巨頭將得以恢復智能手機和網(wǎng)絡設備制造。過去兩個月，該公司因被禁止購買美國制造的零部件而停止業(yè)務。現(xiàn)在，它必須修復與客戶的關系。

It will also need to confront deeper questions about its way of doing business, which has left a trail of accusations of bribery, overbilling and rule-breaking.

中興還需面對外界對其經(jīng)營方式更深層次的質(zhì)疑。它的經(jīng)營方式有一連串被控賄賂、超額計費和違規(guī)的記錄。

“Even with the ban lifted, operators will think twice about bringing them in, no matter what sorts of measures are taken from a transparency or compliance perspective,” said Bengt Nordstrom, chief executive of the telecom consultancy Northstream.

“即使禁令取消，運營商也會慎重考慮引入它們，無論從透明或合規(guī)的角度采取了什么舉措，”電信咨詢公司Northstream的首席執(zhí)行官本特·努德斯特倫(Bengt Nordstrom)說。

Officials in China made rescuing ZTE a top priority during recent trade talks with Washington. The Trump administration gave the company a second chance in order to help cool tensions with Beijing ahead of a summit meeting next week with North Korea’s leader.

最近與華盛頓舉行貿(mào)易談判期間，中方官員將拯救中興列為頭等大事。在下周與朝鮮領導人舉行會談前夕，特朗普政府給了中興第二次機會，以便緩和與北京的緊張關系。

But the accusations of wrongdoing by ZTE — a previously little-known manufacturer that became an unlikely political football, then an even unlikelier object of sympathy for President Trump — speak to a broader issue for China.

但對中國來說，對中興不當行為的指控反映出了一個更廣泛的問題。中興此前是一家鮮為人知的制造商，沒想到成了政治足球，后來更沒想到得到了特朗普總統(tǒng)的同情。

Chinese companies are going global in force, in areas as varied as construction, entertainment and railways. But the country’s leaders want to foster national champions, brand names known worldwide for quality.

中國公司正在建筑、娛樂和鐵路等各種領域大舉走向全球。但中國領導人希望培養(yǎng)出全國冠軍，也就是以質(zhì)量聞名于世的品牌。

A reputation for flouting the rules, combined with national security fears about high-tech products from China, does not help that effort.

藐視規(guī)則的名聲，連同對中國高科技產(chǎn)品的國家安全擔憂，無助于這一行動。

Violations of trade controls on Iran and North Korea were what got ZTE in trouble with the United States Department of Commerce. As part of the deal on Thursday, the company will replace its board and senior leadership. Compliance officers will be installed within the company and will report to Washington. ZTE did not respond to a request for comment.

中興落到美國商務部手里是因為它違反了對伊朗和朝鮮的貿(mào)易管控。作為周四達成的協(xié)議的一部分，中興將更換董事會和高層領導成員。合規(guī)人員將入駐該公司并向華盛頓匯報。中興沒有回復記者的置評請求。

This was hardly the first time ZTE has faced allegations of questionable business conduct. In Kenya, a contract between ZTE and the local police was canceled in 2013 because of overbilling, a decision the company appealed but failed to overturn. In Algeria, two ZTE executives were convicted of corruption in 2012. At the time, ZTE said it had no comment on the Algerian ruling.

這不是中興第一次面臨商業(yè)行為可疑的指控。在肯尼亞，2013年中興與當?shù)鼐街g的一份合同超額計費被廢除。中興上訴，但未能推翻裁決。2012年，中興兩名高管在阿爾及利亞被判腐敗罪名成立。當時，中興表示對阿爾及利亞的裁決不予置評。

Zambia ended a contract with ZTE in 2013, after finding that an auction had not taken place, leading to suspicions that the project’s costs had been inflated. In the Philippines, the company was accused in 2007 of bribing officials including the country’s president at the time. (The corruption case against the president was later dropped because of a lack of evidence.)

2013年，贊比亞在發(fā)現(xiàn)一場拍賣并沒有舉行后終止了與中興的一項合同。此事引發(fā)了外界對該項目成本被夸大的懷疑。在菲律賓，中興2007年被控賄賂官員，包括該國當時的總統(tǒng)(后來因為缺乏證據(jù)，控告總統(tǒng)的腐敗案被撤銷)。

In response to these and other cases, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, one of the world’s largest, said in 2016 that it would exclude ZTE from its investments. The fund’s ethics council said there was “an unacceptable risk that ZTE has been involved in gross corruption and that the company may again become involved in similar practices.”

作為對這些和另一些案件的回應，全球最大的主權(quán)財富基金之一挪威主權(quán)財富基金在2016年表示，將把中興排除在自己的投資對象之外。該基金的道德委員會說，“中興涉嫌嚴重腐敗并且可能再次卷入類似行為的風險令人難以接受。”

The company’s record is not unblemished in its home market, either. A local manager for China Mobile, the country’s largest wireless operator, was found guilty last year of accepting bribes from several companies, including a ZTE subsidiary. ZTE did not comment at the time.

中興在國內(nèi)市場的表現(xiàn)也并非完美無瑕。去年，中國最大的無線運營商中國移動的一名地方管理人員被判犯有收受多家公司，包括中興的一家子公司賄賂的罪行。中興當時沒有發(fā)表評論。

It has other issues in the United States, too. American officials have for years voiced concerns that ZTE equipment may be used by the Chinese government for espionage or network disruption, an allegation also leveled against the firm’s main Chinese rival, Huawei.

中興在美國還面臨其他問題。多年來，美國官員一直擔心中興的設備可能會被中國政府用來從事間諜活動或干擾網(wǎng)絡。中興主要的中國競爭對手華為也受到了同樣的指控。

As a result, large American mobile companies such as AT&T are effectively barred from buying gear from the two companies, and small American carriers may soon be as well, if a proposed Federal Communications Commission rule goes into effect.

因此，美國電話電報公司(AT&T)等美國大型移動公司實際上被禁止從這兩家公司購買設備。如果聯(lián)邦通信委員會(Federal Communications Commission)提出的一項規(guī)定生效，美國的小型運營商可能很快也會收到禁令。

ZTE executives are hoping to move past at least one aspect of their fraught relationship with Washington. On Friday, in a letter to employees that was reviewed by The New York Times, the company’s chairman, Yin Yimin, apologized for what he called “problems” in the company’s culture and management.

中興的高管希望至少度過與華盛頓令人擔憂的關系中的一個方面。周五，在《紐約時報》查閱的一封寫給員工的信中，中興董事長殷一民為他所說的公司在文化和管理上的“問題”道歉。

“Our executives and employees must reflect on this incident, absorb the lessons and earnestly hold ourselves to account to prevent this kind of situation from ever happening again,” wrote Mr. Yin, who took his post last year.

“我們要組織廣大干部和員工對事件進行復盤反思，吸取教訓，并切實問責，防止今后再有類似情況發(fā)生，”去年上任的殷一民寫道。

Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment was not always such a problem child for China’s leaders. It started out in 1985 as a joint venture between a state-owned aerospace factory and two other companies. In the 1990s, ZTE joined other Chinese businesses in venturing into the international market. Officials hailed ZTE as an exemplar of a new kind of Chinese company, one that was “state owned, privately run.”

對于中國領導人來說，中興通訊股份有限公司并非一直都是個麻煩不斷的公司。1985年，它一開始以國有航空工廠及其他兩家公司的合資企業(yè)起步。1990年代，中興加入了其他中國企業(yè)的步伐，開始涉足國際市場。官員們贊揚中興為一種新型中國公司的典范，這種公司“為國有，但由私人運營”。

ZTE’s shares are listed publicly, but its largest shareholder is backed by two state entities, and the Chinese government has long helped and championed the company. In 2012, when ZTE was losing money, the state-backed China Development Bank swooped in with a $20 billion financing agreement.

中興是上市公司，但其最大的股東由兩家國有實體支持，中國政府也長期給予該公司幫助，支持該公司。2012年，當中興出現(xiàn)虧損時，政府背景的國家開發(fā)銀行突然介入，達成了一項200億美元的融資協(xié)議。

Today, with the development of the next wave of wireless technology, or 5G, both ZTE and Huawei are playing a major role in shaping global standards and preparing new equipment. ZTE’s ability to be a leading 5G player now looks shaky, however.

今天，隨著下一波無線技術的發(fā)展，中興和華為都在制定全球標準、籌備新設備方面起著重要作用。然而，如今中興成為領先的5G玩家的能力看起來并不穩(wěn)固。

“In 5G, ZTE has successfully pushed themselves to the forefront with primary research and development,” said Chris Lane, a telecom analyst in Hong Kong with Sanford C. Bernstein. “Carriers were considering using them, and that’s clearly gone now.”

“在5G方面，中興已經(jīng)成功地用初步研究和開發(fā)將自己推入了前沿，”桑福德-伯恩斯坦公司(Sanford C. Bernstein)駐香港的電信分析師克里斯·萊恩(Chris Lane)說。“運營商曾經(jīng)考慮要啟用他們，但現(xiàn)在很顯然不會了。”

This week’s deal with Washington is the latest step in the long, tortuous narrative of ZTE’s dealings in Iran.

本周與華盛頓的交易，是中興與伊朗打交道的漫長、曲折敘事的最新一步。

According to the Commerce Department, the company used American-sourced technology to build and maintain telecom networks there, employing seemingly independent businesses to dodge United States sanctions.

根據(jù)商務部，該公司使用源自美國的技術，打造并維護在當?shù)氐碾娦啪W(wǎng)絡，雇傭看似獨立的企業(yè)，以規(guī)避美國制裁。

After officials began investigating, ZTE falsely told government agents that it had already stopped shipments to Iran, according to United States authorities. It asked a team of employees to destroy materials related to the Iran business, the agency said. It even made plans to resume shipments to Iran while the investigation was underway, the agency said.

據(jù)美國當局表示，在官員們開始展開調(diào)查后，中興向政府工作人員謊稱已經(jīng)停止向伊朗發(fā)貨。該機構(gòu)表示，中興曾要求一組員工銷毀與伊朗業(yè)務有關的材料。商務部說，該公司甚至在調(diào)查期間，制定重新恢復向伊朗發(fā)貨的計劃。

In March 2017, Washington hit the company with $1.19 billion in penalties and ordered it to submit to regular audits.

2017年3月，華盛頓開出11.9億美元的罰單，并且下令要求中興接受常規(guī)審計，重創(chuàng)了該公司。

But in March this year, ZTE told the Commerce Department that it had previously made false statements about what it had done to discipline employees involved in the Iran violations. The agency then ordered that American companies be banned from selling technology to ZTE for seven years.

但在今年3月，中興告訴商務部，稱它此前曾經(jīng)就懲罰參與伊朗違規(guī)行為的員工方面作出了虛假陳述。該機構(gòu)于是下令禁止美國公司向中興出售技術，為期七年。

The pattern of falsehoods, the order said, was “indicative of a company incapable of being, or unwilling to be, a reliable and trustworthy recipient of U.S.-origin goods, software and technology.” Additional financial penalties were “unlikely to lead to the company’s reform,” the department said.

禁令中說，它的作假方式“表明一家公司無法、或不愿意成為來自美國的商品、軟件及技術的可靠且可信賴的接受方”。額外的經(jīng)濟處罰“不太可能會讓這家公司進行改革”，商務部說。

The financial penalty announced this week — $1 billion plus $400 million held in escrow — sets a record for civil and criminal penalties in a sanctions case, according to the agency.

根據(jù)該機構(gòu)，本周宣布的經(jīng)濟處罰——10億美元外加交由第三方保管的4億美元——創(chuàng)下了在制裁案中民事和刑事處罰的新紀錄。

While mobile carriers in many countries may now be wary of buying from ZTE, that might not be the case in China, where the company makes most of its money.

盡管許多國家的手機運營商如今會對從中興購買產(chǎn)品持謹慎態(tài)度，但在中國卻并非如此，該公司的大部分利潤都源于國內(nèi)市場。

“Chinese carriers will be less sensitive, because they are state enterprises,” said Edison Lee, a telecom analyst at Jefferies in Hong Kong. “They follow the government’s ‘Buy China’ policy.”

“中國運營商比較不敏感，因為他們是國企，”杰富瑞集團(Jefferies)駐香港的電信分析師李裕生表示。“他們遵循的是政府‘買國貨’的政策”。

Still, he said, “I’m not sure the Chinese government can help them again if they don’t behave.”

他說，盡管如此，“我不確定如果他們不循規(guī)蹈矩的話，中國政府是否能再次幫到他們。”

This week, the website of China Radio International, a state broadcaster, published an opinion piece on ZTE that said Chinese companies should not be “giant babies” that relied on Beijing to get them out of tough spots.

本周，官方媒體中國國際廣播電臺就中興發(fā)表了一篇觀點文章，稱中國企業(yè)不應該成為依靠北京把它們從困境中解救出來的“巨嬰”。

“More and more Chinese companies have gone overseas in recent years, but once they are abroad, the key is to take it upon themselves to fully understand international standards and laws,” the article says. “Powerful as the motherland may be, companies still need to handle their own issues.”

“中國企業(yè)這幾年走出國門的越來越多，但出門在外，關鍵要靠自己把國際規(guī)則法律吃透弄明白，”該文寫道。“祖國再強大，自己的事兒還要自己做、自己扛。”