That obviously wasn't a very good move from Huawei and ZTE but it's disingenuous to claim this is what caused the current situation. It simply handed the US gov

That obviously wasn't a very good move from Huawei and ZTE but it's disingenuous to claim this is what caused the current situation. It simply handed the US government a convenient stick when they really wanted one, and they would therefore have found one in any case. There is a global geopolitical struggle between the US and China, and the US see China as an increasingly serious threat to their 'leadership'. That really is the bottom line.