Ryan: Trump Concerned about ZTE Jobs Not GM

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13 Ohio, on Monday accused President Trump of being more concerned about the loss of manufacturing jobs at a Chinese telecom giant than at the General Motors Lordstown Complex.

Ryan issued a statement in the wake of the president’s tweet Sunday that he is working with the government of China to give ZTE “a way back into business, fast.”

“GM Lordstown has lost 2,700 jobs over the last 18 months and hasn’t earned a single tweet from the president,” Ryan said. “Chinese telecom giant  ZTE, however, is getting VIP treatment from the Real Donald Trump himself, who is working overtime to, in his own words, ‘get [ZTE] back into business, fast.’ Never mind that ZTE is a company with which the NSA, FBI, and CIA all have cyber security concerns. The Pentagon even stopped selling its phones on military bases,” he noted.

The Chinese company makes smartphones and telecom equipment. Last month the Trump Administration banned American companies from selling ZTE components, which forced the company to halt operations. The ban was based on ZTE’s failure to live up to its agreement to pay a $1.2 billion fine for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran and North Korea.

Ryan’s statement dubbed Trump’s help for ZTE as the president’s “China First” agenda.

“President Trump, not to be deterred by the idea of a potentially hostile foreign power compromising sensitive U.S. data, is ordering his Department of Commerce to bend over backwards for a Chinese company anyway,” the congressman said. “This is instead of facilitating a massive reinvestment into communities across the United States that have been left behind by rapid globalization, and in many ways by abusive and illegal Chinese trade practices.”

ZTE employs 75,000, according to published reports.

In recent weeks Ryan has blasted Trump in relation to the loss of the second shift at GM Lordstown.

On Friday he urged the president to pay attention to domestic auto industry executives who oppose the administration’s reduction of fuel-economy standards, which weakens the market for small cars like the Chevrolet Cruze produced at Lordstown.

The New York Times:
China welcomes Trump’s help on ZTE as trade talks loom

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