All of the issues with ZTE and hauwei which have been shown to have substantial merit relate to trade concerns over corporate governance. The claims there are state actor backdoors being exploited is completely unproven. The claims relate overwhelmingly to transmission equipment. In that regard, the equipment demonstrated to have backdoors is juniper and cisco, both of whom did it at the behest of US agencies.

ZTE may well have had factory installed malware, so does Lenovo. So do lots of things.

International trade demands that both sides exchange value. If you are made to buy in US dollars, you wind up having to spend them. The place you spend them is in the USA. So, stopping people in China from selling you things stops Chinese investors having US dollars to invest in spending for US goods and services and financial investment.

Also, it's well understood that if you beggar your neighbour by making the goods he makes and the goods you make, you can't exchange your goods for his goods: international trade really does work better when you let both sides maximise their value into the trade. Simply taking their raw goods or blockading their cheaper products just doesn't work.

So trade is not adversarial. It's mutual. By definition. Across one financial year, one presidential term, one tax reconciliation, for one company? Sure you can exploit an assymetrical relationship. You are just 'shitting in the nest' for everyone else.

What do you think the Chinese do with all the US dollars they earn? Burn them?