China's Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday that China is firmly opposed to U.S. sanctions against the ZTE Corporation. The ministry says the U.S. move against one of China's biggest telecom equipment makers will severely impair normal commercial activities of Chinese firms.
The ministry also said that China will continue to engage with the U.S. on the issue. The U.S. sanctioned ZTE after determining that the state-owned company improperly exported U.S. technology to Iran. The sanctions include restrictions on the ability of ZTE to use American components.
The Commerce Ministry says ZTE's technology purchases help to support tens of thousands of American jobs and warned sanctions could disrupt that.