In the ever-evolving spat between the world's two largest economies, the United States is reaching for yet another tool to pressure China . On April 16, the U.S. Commerce Department announced that it is reinstating an order barring U.S. companies — including tech giants such as Google, Qualcomm and Intel — from selling parts, software and equipment to the Shenzhen-based telecommunications giant ZTE Corp. The move will undeniably be felt in ZTE's operations throughout the world. The United States originally slapped its export ban on ZTE in 2016 , after an investigation determined that the Chinese tech giant had run afoul of U.S. sanctions by buying U.S.-produced technology and exporting it directly — or embedded in ZTE's products — to Iran and North Korea. ZTE earned a few waivers as it tried to comply with the U.S. sanctions, and it eventually reached a full settlement in early 2017.