Despite these efforts, the US government imposed the ban on ZTE, as according to the department the Chinese company failed to discipline its 35 employees by reducing their bonuses or reprimanding them as agreed in a sanctions settlement.

"The US government did not take into account ZTE found the problem itself and took the initiative to report such problems to the regulator. We also moved very quickly to punish people who made the mistake, and hired US law firms to independently investigate the issue," the website read. “Before the investigation was done, the US government imposed the toughest ban on us. It is extremely unfair. We won't accept it."

The statement continued, "We won't give up solving this problem via dialogue, but we are also determined to safeguard our legitimate rights and interests through all legally available means."