HONG KONG — When the United States government punished ZTE of China this month, saying it had done business with Iran, it released internal company documents that it said detailed how the electronic equipment maker had done it — and that also suggested the problem might not be limited to one Chinese company.

香港——在本月以中国的中兴(ZTE)公司与伊朗有生意往来为由对其施加制裁时，美国政府公布了该公司的内部文件，称文件提供了有关该电子设备制造商与伊朗交易的细节，还称这个问题可能不仅限于一家中国公司。

One document described how ZTE would set up seemingly independent companies — called “cut-off companies” — that would sign the deals in other countries. That could enable it to continue to do business in Iran, North Korea and other countries placed under American restrictions.

一份文件称，中兴会设立看似独立的公司——“隔断企业”，通过这些公司在其他国家签署协议。这会使得中兴能够继续在伊朗、朝鲜及其他受到美国限制的国家开展贸易。

In describing the effort, the document cited as a model — and at times a cautionary tale — a rival company it called F7. ZTE said F7 had done something similar, though its business in restricted companies ended up hurting its American ambitions.

该文件在说明这些举措时，提到了一个范例——有时是为了敲响警钟——一个被称为F7的竞争对手。中兴称F7也有类似的做法，但该公司在受限国家的业务，最终损害了它在美国的宏图大业。

The document does not give F7’s real name. But the description offered by ZTE matches a company far larger and more politically sensitive: Huawei Technologies, its chief rival and a major force in the technology world.

该文件没有说明F7的真实名称。但中兴的描述符合一个规模大得多且更具政治敏感性的公司：华为技术公司——中兴的主要对手、技术领域的一股重要力量。

The ZTE document, dated August 2011, suggests that other Chinese companies could have potential exposure to American export limits. Given the recent sanctions against ZTE, it also suggests that the issue could be a continuing one between Chinese and American government officials.

这份在2011年8月发布的文件显示，其他中国公司可能会受到美国的出口限制。中兴最近遭受的制裁也说明，这将成为中美政府官员间持续存在的一个问题。

ZTE on Thursday said that it had delayed the release of its annual financial results because of the sanctions, which limit the ability of American companies to sell equipment to it.

中兴在周四表示，由于遭到制裁，该公司会延期公布年度财务业绩。制裁举措使得向中兴出售设备的美国公司受到限制。

ZTE officials declined to comment on the identity of F7, and Huawei declined to comment. ZTE has said it is cooperating with investigators and is committed to complying with the law.

中兴官员拒绝就F7的身份置评，华为拒绝评论。中兴曾表示，公司正在配合调查人员的工作，承诺遵守法律。

The United States Commerce Department, which last week restricted sales of American telecommunications equipment to ZTE, accusing it of violating embargoes, did not respond to requests for comment.

美国商务部上周限制相关公司向中兴出售电信设备，指责中兴违反禁令，商务部没有回复置评请求。

It is rare for the Commerce Department to publicly provide evidence for an addition to its blacklist of restricted companies, especially full disclosure of internal documents.

商务部很少公开提供有关增加受限公司的证据，特别是全面披露内部文件。

It is not clear how accurate ZTE’s version of the events might be. The document says some information about F7 was gathered by ZTE’s legal department, without offering details.

目前尚不清楚，中兴有关该事件的说明与事实是否有出入。文件称，一些有关F7的信息是由中兴法务部门收集的，但没有提供细节。

F7, the document says, tried in 2010 to buy an American company called 3Leaf but met with opposition from American officials. That same year, Huawei agreed to buy major assets from 3Leaf, but it dropped the bid in February 2011 because of opposition from American officials.

文件称，F7在2010年试图收购一家名为3Leaf的美国公司，但遭到美国官员的反对。就在那一年，华为同意收购3Leaf的主要资产，但最终因为美国官员的反对，在2011年2月放弃了投标。

F7 also has a joint venture with the American digital security company Symantec, the 2011 document says. Huawei had a joint venture with Symantec before the American company dissolved it in 2012.

这份2011年的文件显示，F7还与美国数字安全公司赛门铁克(Symantec)成立了合资企业，但2012年美国公司解散了这个企业。

Like ZTE, Huawei makes telecommunications equipment for corporate networks and for big telecommunications systems such as phone companies. American officials have long suspected it has Chinese government ties, and United States intelligence officials have tried to tap into the company’s network. Both companies are effectively barred from selling equipment for American networks.

与中兴一样，华为为公司网络及大型电信系统——比如手机公司——制造电信设备。美国官员一直在怀疑该公司与中国政府有关联，美国情报官员曾试图潜入该公司的网络。两家公司实际上都被禁止向美国网络出售设备。

Huawei says that it is privately owned and that accusations of government ties are an excuse to hurt the company for protectionist purposes.

华为表示，该公司为私有企业，有关公司与政府关系的指控只是为了实施保护主义、损害该公司的借口。

Huawei is much larger than ZTE. In 2014, it reported revenue of about $60 billion, about four times that of ZTE. Depending on the measure, it ranks with Sweden’s Ericsson as the world’s largest supplier of the base stations and other equipment that make mobile telecom networks run. Huawei equipment supports networks in countries across the world, including many European markets.

华为的规模比中兴大得多。2014年，该公司报收600亿美元，大约是中兴的四倍。根据该数据，华为和瑞典爱立信公司(Ericsson)成为世界最大的基站及移动通信网络运营所需的其他设备的供应商。华为的设备支撑世界各国网络的运行，其中包括很多欧洲市场。

While both Huawei and ZTE are given privileged status as high-tech innovators by China’s leadership, Huawei is more prominent.

虽然华为和中兴都被中国领导人称为高科技行业的创新者，给予它们特权，但华为更为重要。

Huawei has also had greater success selling its smartphones in America, and indeed across the world. The company was the third-largest smartphone vendor by units sold in the fourth quarter of 2015 according to IDC, with an 8.1 percent share of the global market, compared with the 21.4 percent share of Samsung, the company in first place.

华为的智能手机在美国的销售更成功，实际上在全世界也更为成功。IDC的数据显示，以2015年第四季度的销售量来看，该公司成为世界第三大智能手机卖家，在全球市场占据8.1%的份额，三星(Samsung)占21.2%，排名第一。

Despite the trouble in the United States, Huawei has not shied away from potentially controversial deals. In September, Huawei signed a deal with Syria’s Communications and Technology Ministry to help the country develop its communications networks.

尽管在美国遇到麻烦，华为对可能存在争议的交易并不避讳。9月，华为与叙利亚通信技术部签署协议，以帮助叙利亚发展通信网络。

The ZTE document details how F7 recruited compliance experts and placed them in its joint ventures as part of efforts to mitigate its risks. It says that the company recruited one “senior export control compliance specialist from Texas Instruments” and a “Chinese-American attorney who is familiar with the related laws in the U.S.”

中兴的文件详细讲述了F7如何聘用合规专家，并将他们安置在合资企业，以此作为减少风险的举措的一部分。文件称，该公司聘用了“德州仪器(Texas Instruments)的资深出口管制合规专员”及一名“熟悉美国相关法律的美国华人律师”。

It also describes how F7 found partners that it could say were independent companies and that could work on its behalf in countries under embargo. F7, it said, found a big information technology company that was “serving as its agent to sign contracts for projects in embargoed countries.”

该文件还称F7找到了一些合作伙伴，它可以说这些都是独立公司，但又可以代表F7在管制国运作。文件显示F7找到了一家大型信息技术公司，“作为其签署管制国项目的签约主体”。

“This cut-off company’s capital credit and capability are relatively strong compared to our company; it can cut off risks more effectively,” the document said.

文件称，“该隔断企业资质及能力较强，相对于我司能较好地隔断风险。”

But ZTE came to believe that F7’s activities in embargoed countries hurt its American expansion efforts.

但中兴认为F7在管制国的活动影响了该公司在美国的扩张计划。

It said it believed that F7’s efforts to acquire companies in the United States were in part blocked because of its “ongoing projects in embargoed countries.”

中兴称，它相信F7在美国收购公司受阻，部分是因为F7“在管制国的运作项目”。