ZTE’s probation for selling US-made products to Iran and North Korea comes to an end

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, a Texas judge ruled on Tuesday that the US's five-year sentence for the Chinese company is coming to an end. The Chinese telecommunications company pleaded guilty to illegally selling American-made equipment in Iran and North Korea. The US imposed sanctions against both countries that resulted in a $1.2 billion fine for ZTE.

The subject of a separate case that is currently underway in Georgia is the subject of a decision by a US District Judge. A researcher and professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology were accused of abusing the visa system to bring Chinese nationals to the US to work for them. Kinkeade encouraged the government to take legal action against the company.

After spending time on the US economic blacklist and replacing its top executives as a condition to resume trade, the end of the probation could help the company regain traction. Despite ending a five-year-long legal saga, this ruling doesn't change the fact that government officials in the US are banned from using ZTE and the China-based Huawei products and also doesn't reverting its status as a national security threat. The Federal Communications Commission is going to rip and replace both of the Chinese companies' equipment for a cost of $5.6 billion.