中興手機在美國的成功之道
Four years after being labelled a security threat by the US Congress, Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE has quietly grown into the third-largest seller of Android Smartphones in the country.
四年前，中國電信設備製造商中興(ZTE)被美國國會貼上了“安全威脅”的標籤，如今這家公司已悄然成長爲美國安卓(Android)智能手機的第三大銷售商。
The success of the Shenzhen-based company shows that while high technology remains 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.
這家深圳公司的成功表明，儘管高科技仍是美中貿易關係中最具政治色彩的經濟領域之一——兩國互相限制對方產品的進口——但有些公司還是想方設法獲得了茁壯成長。
“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.”
科技諮詢機構IDC的馬伯遠(Bryan Ma)說：“說中國企業無法打入美國市場是無稽之談。中興就是頭號證據。”
While rivals including Huawei and Xiaomi have been expanding into cheaper phone markets such as India and Brazil, ZTE has embarked on a full-blown public relations push into premium 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.
當華爲(Huawei)、小米(Xiaomi)等競爭對手致力於開拓印度、巴西等較低端的手機市場時，中興已經開始在美國的高端市場展開全方位的公關活動。2010年中興手機在美國還沒有立足點，而據IDC的數據，2015年第三季度其在美國智能手機市場佔有率達到了7.5%（2014年同期爲6.8%），緊隨三星(Samsung)、LG和蘋果(Apple)之後。
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 warriors, and the Chicago Bulls.
中興的公關活動包括推出字體更討喜的新商標，贊助美國職業籃球聯賽(NBA)的五支球隊，其中包括休斯頓火箭(Houston Rockets)、金州勇士隊(Golden State warriors)和芝加哥公牛隊(Chicago Bulls)。
The company has found its niche as the cheap option for phones offered by carriers in the US, where they cost as little as $30.
中興在美國找到了自己的市場定位：運營商發售的手機中的低價之選。其手機在美國的售價低至30美元。
“Customers are getting savvier about smartphones,” ZTE said, arguing that high-end components make its phones competitive with much more expensive alternatives.
中興表示：“消費者對智能手機越來越瞭解。”該公司表示高端元件讓其手機能與貴得多的產品相競爭。
It also said that as US carrier operators move away from a two-year contract subsidy model to one involving no subsidies, “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.
中興還表示，隨着美國移動運營商減少使用兩年期合約補貼模式，轉向沒有任何補貼的模式，“消費者對設備成本越來越清楚，因爲現在他們要在硬件上花錢”，這推動了對中興這種高配置低成本手機的需求。
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.
位於北京的行業協會“手機中國聯盟”(Mobile Phone China Alliance)祕書長王豔輝表示，美國較低端智能手機市場“實際上是容易進入的，只要願意向該市場投入資源就能進入。”
“Nobody really has any security concerns over phones that are practically free,” he said.
王豔輝表示：“如果手機便宜到跟不要錢一樣，沒人會在意什麼安全問題。”
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 Gorilla Glass from Corning and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
中興目前將希望寄予旗下的Axon天機，這款安卓手機配置了5.5英寸屏幕，兩個攝像頭，部件主要爲美國品牌，比如康寧(Corning)的大猩猩玻璃(Gorilla Glass)，高通(Qualcomm)的驍龍(Snapdragon)處理器。
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 infrastructure 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.
中興雖然以製造大型電信設備著稱，但從2012年起被禁止在美國銷售此類產品，因爲當時美國衆議院情報委員會(House Intelligence Committee)指控中興和華爲充當中國政府的間諜。該委員會在報告中寫道：“由華爲和中興爲美國關鍵基礎設施提供設備，可能會損害美國的核心國家安全利益，而且無法相信這兩家公司不受外交和國家影響。”
The investigation 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.
那次調查使得中興和華爲受到了非正式限制，不能投資或收購美國公司，或與美國政府進行任何重大技術交易。但唯獨智能手機除外，而中興迅速採取行動利用了這一點。
Huawei, meanwhile, has since shifted its focus to Europe and emerging markets.
華爲則將重點轉移到歐洲和新興市場。
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.
中興將自己在美國智能手機市場的成功歸因於高品質低價手機，以及與華盛頓方面的“公開對話”，其首席執行官頻繁前往華盛頓，通常是一年兩次。
Both companies have long rejected the spying accusations. According to a person familiar with the company, ZTE has dismissed its inclusion in the 2012 probe as “collateral damage” for being associated with Shenzhen-based rival Huawei, which ZTE says was the real target.
兩家公司長期以來一直否認間諜指控。一位瞭解中興的人士透露，中興認爲自己捲入2012年的調查是受到“附帶損害”，華爲纔是真正的目標，自己被與華爲聯繫在了一起。
Huawei has recently been taking steps to get into the US smartphone market as well, last year partnering with Google to produce the Nexus 6P.
華爲最近也採取行動以進入美國智能手機市場，去年華爲與谷歌(Google)合作開發了Nexus 6P。
