Investors wipe $3bn off China’s ZTE as US settlement sinks in

HONG KONG: Investors wiped about $3 billion off embattled Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE Corp’s market value as it resumed trade on Wednesday after agreeing to pay up to $1.4 billion in penalties to the US government.

China’s No 2 telecommunications equipment maker was crippled when the US imposed a seven-year supplier ban on the company in April after it broke an agreement to discipline executives who conspired to evade US sanctions on Iran and North Korea.

The ban, which has prevented ZTE from buying the US components it relies on to make smartphones and other devices, will not be lifted until ZTE pays a fine and places $400 million more in an escrow account in a Us-approved bank.

“While the nightmare is now over, ZTE will likely have to deal with many changes,” Jeffries said in a research report, adding that it expects significant near-term selling pressure on the company’s shares.

Confirming details of the US deal, ZTE said late on Tuesday it would replace its board of directors and that of its import-export subsidiary ZTE Kangxun within 30 days of the June 8 order being signed by the United States.

All members of its leadership at or above the senior vice president level would be removed within the 30-day period, with a commitment that they would not be re-hired, along with any executives or officers tied to the wrongdoing, it said. — Reuters