The U.S. Commerce Department is banning American companies from selling components to China's leading telecom equipment maker ZTE for SEVEN years... for violating the terms of a sanctions violation case.<br /> ZTE allegedly violated the terms of a 2017 settlement,... where the company pleaded guilty in a Texas federal court to illegally shipping U.S. equipment to North Korea and Iran. <br />The company paid 890 million U.S. dollars in fines and penalties,... with an additional penalty of 300 million that could be imposed. <br />The action is seen as another addition to the mounting pressure on Chinese telecommunications companies and a broader escalation of the tariff tussle between Washington and Beijing. <br />
