President Trump pledged Sunday to help Chinese phone manufacturer ZTE return to business, days after the company said it would cease “major operating activities” because of the U.S. government’s recent trade restrictions, a shift in tone for a president who has long accused China of stealing U.S. jobs.

“President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast,” Trump tweeted. “Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!”

The comment could presage a reversal of one of the Trump administration’s toughest actions to date against a Chinese company. In April, the Commerce Department penalized ZTE for violating a settlement with the U.S. government over illegal shipments to Iran and North Korea. As a result, the Trump administration barred U.S. firms for seven years from exporting critical microchips and other parts to ZTE, the world’s fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer.

Lacking those components, ZTE halted operations, stressing in a statement Wednesday that it is “actively communicating with the relevant U.S. government departments in order to facilitate the modification or reversal” of the Commerce Department’s order.

Trump’s tweet comes just days before U.S. officials plan to meet with Liu He, one of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s closest advisers, to discuss the strained trade ties. That meeting is expected to be held in Washington this week or next. Trump’s new willingness to try to save ZTE also marks a sharp reversal from current U.S. policy, which had sought to punish the firm for repeatedly failing to make changes in the face of U.S. sanctions. The Treasury Department and the Commerce Department had been strongly aligned against ZTE as recently as several days ago.

It’s highly unusual for a president to personally intervene in a regulatory matter and could undercut the leverage of Treasury and Commerce officials seeking to enforce sanctions and trade rules. It could send the signal to foreign leaders that anything can be put on the bargaining table as Trump seeks to cut trade deals.

ZTE’s business in the United States has also raised concerns among national security officials. Shortly after Trump’s tweet, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., responded: “Our intelligence agencies have warned that ZTE technology and phones pose a major cyber security threat. You should care more about our national security than Chinese jobs.”

Meanwhile, Trump is trying to broker a historic agreement with North Korea in an attempt to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. The president has said that his economic approach to China is linked to his national security strategy, and China plays an integral part in any decision made by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesman for the Commerce Department. A ZTE spokesman also did not respond to an email seeking comment.

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