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US reaches deal with China's phone maker ZTE: Commerce Secretary

US reaches deal with China's phone maker ZTE: Commerce Secretary

ZTE

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Under the deal, ZTE will change its board and management within 30 days, pay a $1 billion fine, put $400 million in escrow and retain a new US-selected compliance team, Ross told CNBC.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday that Washington has reached a deal with ZTE Corp that would reverse a ban on buying parts from US suppliers, allowing China's No. 2 telecommunications equipment maker to get back into business, news agency Reuters reported.

Under the deal, ZTE will change its board and management within 30 days, pay a $1 billion fine, put $400 million in escrow and retain a new US-selected compliance team, Ross told CNBC.

He added that he did not think the arrangement would have any effect on tariff talks with China.

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"We think this settlement, which brought the company, a $17 billion company, to its knees, more or less put them out of business, now they're accepting having this compliance team, whole new management team, whole new board, should serve as a very strong deterrent not only for them but for other potential bad actors ... I'm very, very happy with this arrangement," Ross told.

The deal also includes a suspended 10-year ban on buying U.S. components that could be activated by any violations, people familiar with the arrangement told Reuters.

Reuters reported exclusively on Tuesday that ZTE had signed a preliminary agreement with the US Commerce Department, along with the fine and other terms.