This week on Sinica, I chat with Eva Dou, technology reporter for the Washington Post, about her terrific new book about Huawei. From its prehistory to its fight for its life under tremendous U.S. pressure, she tells its story in a way that's both deeply engaging and very evenhanded.
04:53 – Meng Wanzhou’s case and its impact on media interest in Huawei
07:13 – How did Ren Zhengfei’s experiences in the PLA shape the corporate culture of Huawei?
10:21 – The impact of his father on Ren Zhengfei
13:42 – Women in Huawei’s leadership and Sun Yafang as a chairwoman
18:41 – Is Huawei a tool of the state?
23:21 – Edward Snowden’s revelations and how they influenced the perception of Huawei
26:34 – The Cisco lawsuit influence on the company’s approach to foreign markets
28:07 – Reasons for Huawei working with embargoed or sanctioned states
30:46 – Huawei’s international expansion
33:04 – Huawei’s management style and internal competition
36:33 – Meng Wenzhou’s detainment as a turning point for Huawei and China-U.S. relations
38:09 – Ren Zhengfei’s media campaign and narrative shift after the Meng affair
40:44 – Huawei’s involvement in Xinjiang’s surveillance
43:09 – Huawei’s success in shaping 5G standards despite global pushback
46:27 – The “Huawei index”: tracking Chinese investment abroad through Huawei’s market presence
48:35 – Huawei’s push into chip development amid sanctions: real progress or just hype?
52:23 – Huawei: a proxy, a leading or lagging indicator, or just a bellwether?
54:11 – Huawei’s “too big to fail” status: benefits and risks amid U.S. government pressure
56:29 – Huawei’s perspective on the backlash from sanctions
58:19 – Concluding question: about Huawei’s ownership and governance
Paying it forward: Raffaele Huang at The Wall Street Journal
Recommendations:
Eva: The Party's Interests Come First by Joseph Torigian; Yang Jie at The Wall Street Journal; Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Kaiser: Adolescence on Netflix; Kyle Chan's high-capacity.com
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