The Trump administration, over the objections of lawmakers, is continuing to try to soften its punishment of ZTE, the Chinese telecommunications firm that has emerged as a key sticking point in trade negotiations between China and the United States.

The company is on the verge of shutting down after the United States banned it from buying American components and has become a bargaining chip between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, as the two leaders work to resolve a brewing trade war. Mr. Xi asked Mr. Trump to revisit the ZTE decision because thousands of Chinese jobs could be lost if the company is shuttered.

On Thursday, Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, said the administration was considering placing an American compliance team inside ZTE to ensure that the company was meeting its requirements and not violating sanctions. The company was punished for violating United States sanctions against Iran and North Korea and then lying about it.

“We’re developing a matrix of things and while we haven’t come quite to a final decision yet, we think there may very well be an alternative that will be quite punitive to them, but really modify behavior,” Mr. Ross said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday.