Four years after being labelled a security threat by the US Congress, Chinese telecom equipment maker¹ ZTE has quietly grown into the third-largest seller of Android smartphones in the country.

四年前，中国电信设备制造商中兴(ZTE)被美国国会贴上了“安全威胁”的标签，如今这家公司已悄然成长为美国安卓(Android)智能手机的第三大销售商。

The success of the Shenzhen-based company shows that while high technology remains² one of the most politicised economic aspects in US-China trade relations as each country cracks down on the others’ imports, some companies are finding ways to thrive.

这家深圳公司的成功表明，尽管高科技仍是美中贸易关系中最具政治色彩的经济领域之一——两国互相限制对方产品的进口——但有些公司还是想方设法获得了茁壮成长。

“It’s kind of a myth that Chinese companies can’t crack the US market,” said Bryan Ma of IDC, the technology consultancy. “ZTE is exhibit A.”

科技咨询机构IDC的马伯远(Bryan Ma)说：“说中国企业无法打入美国市场是无稽之谈。中兴就是头号证据。”

While rivals including Huawei and Xiaomi have been expanding into cheaper phone markets such as India and Brazil, ZTE has embarked³ on a full-blown public relations push into premium⁴ market in the US. From no presence in 2010, it had 7.5 per cent of the US smartphone market in the third quarter of last year, according to IDC, up from 6.8 per cent in the same period the year before — beating all but Samsung, LG, and Apple.

当华为(Huawei)、小米(Xiaomi)等竞争对手致力于开拓印度、巴西等较低端的手机市场时，中兴已经开始在美国的高端市场展开全方位的公关活动。2010年中兴手机在美国还没有立足点，而据IDC的数据，2015年第三季度其在美国智能手机市场占有率达到了7.5%（2014年同期为6.8%），紧随三星(Samsung)、LG和苹果(Apple)之后。

ZTE’s PR push has ranged from a new, friendlier font for its logo to sponsoring five US National Basketball Association teams including the Houston Rockets, the Golden State warriors⁵, and the Chicago Bulls.

中兴的公关活动包括推出字体更讨喜的新商标，赞助美国职业篮球联赛(NBA)的五支球队，其中包括休斯顿火箭(Houston Rockets)、金州勇士队(Golden State warriors)和芝加哥公牛队(Chicago Bulls)。

The company has found its niche⁶ as the cheap option for phones offered by carriers in the US, where they cost as little as $30.

中兴在美国找到了自己的市场定位：运营商发售的手机中的低价之选。其手机在美国的售价低至30美元。

“Customers are getting savvier about smartphones,” ZTE said, arguing that high-end components⁷ make its phones competitive with much more expensive alternatives.

中兴表示：“消费者对智能手机越来越了解。”该公司表示高端元件让其手机能与贵得多的产品相竞争。

It also said that as US carrier operators move away from a two-year contract subsidy⁸ model to one involving no subsidies⁹, “consumers are becoming clearer on the cost of devices since they are now paying for them” and this is driving demand for low-cost high-spec phones such as theirs.

中兴还表示，随着美国移动运营商减少使用两年期合约补贴模式，转向没有任何补贴的模式，“消费者对设备成本越来越清楚，因为现在他们要在硬件上花钱”，这推动了对中兴这种高配置低成本手机的需求。

Wang Yanhui, head of the Beijing-based China Smartphone alliance, an industry advocacy group, said that the cheaper end of the US smartphones market “is practically up for grabs. Anyone who wants to devote resources to this market will get it.

位于北京的行业协会“手机中国联盟”(Mobile Phone China Alliance)秘书长王艳辉表示，美国较低端智能手机市场“实际上是容易进入的，只要愿意向该市场投入资源就能进入。”

“Nobody really has any security concerns over phones that are practically free,” he said.

王艳辉表示：“如果手机便宜到跟不要钱一样，没人会在意什么安全问题。”

ZTE is placing its hopes on the ZTE Axon, an Android device with a 5.5in screen and dual-lens camera using mainly US parts such as Gorilla¹⁰ Glass from Corning and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

中兴目前将希望寄予旗下的Axon天机，这款安卓手机配置了5.5英寸屏幕，两个摄像头，部件主要为美国品牌，比如康宁(Corning)的大猩猩玻璃(Gorilla Glass)，高通(Qualcomm)的骁龙(Snapdragon)处理器。

Though better-known for making large scale telecoms equipment, ZTE has been blocked from selling these products in the US since 2012, when the House Intelligence Committee accused both ZTE and Huawei of spying on behalf of Chinese authorities. “The risks of Huawei’s and ZTE’s provision of equipment to US critical infrastructure¹¹ could undermine core US national security interests” and both companies “cannot be trusted to be free of foreign and state influence,” the committee’s report read.

中兴虽然以制造大型电信设备著称，但从2012年起被禁止在美国销售此类产品，因为当时美国众议院情报委员会(House Intelligence Committee)指控中兴和华为充当中国政府的间谍。该委员会在报告中写道：“由华为和中兴为美国关键基础设施提供设备，可能会损害美国的核心国家安全利益，而且无法相信这两家公司不受外交和国家影响。”

The investigation¹² meant both companies were informally barred from investing in or acquiring firms in the US, or from doing any major technology deals with the government. However, smartphones were left alone, and ZTE moved quickly to take advantage.

那次调查使得中兴和华为受到了非正式限制，不能投资或收购美国公司，或与美国政府进行任何重大技术交易。但唯独智能手机除外，而中兴迅速采取行动利用了这一点。

Huawei, meanwhile, has since shifted its focus to Europe and emerging markets.

华为则将重点转移到欧洲和新兴市场。

ZTE credits its success in the US smartphone market to high-quality, low-cost phones, as well as an “open dialogue” with Washington, which its chief executive visits frequently, usually twice a year.

中兴将自己在美国智能手机市场的成功归因于高品质低价手机，以及与华盛顿方面的“公开对话”，其首席执行官频繁前往华盛顿，通常是一年两次。

Both companies have long rejected the spying accusations¹³. According to a person familiar with the company, ZTE has dismissed its inclusion in the 2012 probe as “collateral¹⁴ damage” for being associated with Shenzhen-based rival Huawei, which ZTE says was the real target.

两家公司长期以来一直否认间谍指控。一位了解中兴的人士透露，中兴认为自己卷入2012年的调查是受到“附带损害”，华为才是真正的目标，自己被与华为联系在了一起。

Huawei has recently been taking steps to get into the US smartphone market as well, last year partnering with Google to produce the Nexus¹⁵ 6P.

华为最近也采取行动以进入美国智能手机市场，去年华为与谷歌(Google)合作开发了Nexus 6P。