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As usual with China we are focused on the wrong issue and asking the wrong questions. Who owns Huawei is irrelevant, who ultimately controls Huawei is the issu
by watertom 7y ago
As usual with China we are focused on the wrong issue and asking the wrong questions.
Who owns Huawei is irrelevant, who ultimately controls Huawei is the issue, but it’s a simple answer, the Chinese Government.
I was in China on business, we were meeting the one of the largest and most successful tech companies in China. We were meeting with the Chairman/CEO and his team. Everyone was introduced except one man, everyone basically acted like the guy wasn’t in the room. He just sat and listened until he heard something he didn’t like, he quickly took over the meeting, admonished the CEO, and insisted they we do as he said. For the remainder of the meeting the CEO and his team sat head facing the conference table, it was clear they were all terrified.
Once the key parts of the meeting were decided this man got up and left, the meeting quickly ended. I tried to get my Chinese colleagues to explain what happened, but everyone just blew me off.
A couple days later we were in Taiwan, and I got the full story. The man was the party official who guided the company. The guy made sure that the Chinese government’s interests were followed.
It’s China, thinking about things like it’s the West is stupid. Everything is owned by the government.
- ETHisso2017 7y agoThis sounds more like an urban legend than an actual event.
- tempguy9999 7y agoIf you are casting doubt on the poster then outright call him a liar and explain why. Otherwise... > I was in China on business ...assume goodwill and take him at his word.
- ken47 7y agoTrue if big.
- Rapzid 7y agoIt annoys me to no end how much beating around the bush there is on this topic; particularly on NPR. They have the kid gloves on and pundits that won't come out and say the obvious. "But why the concern about Huawei and not Facebook and Google". Because they are controlled by a fascist government, a point we have largely been ignoring for decades while they weren't the 2nd largest economy?! Recently they had a guy on saying the USA intelligence/military community saw China as the biggest "strategic challenge" in the future. I'm PRETTY darn sure they mean and have said "threat to national security". He was also insinuating the the idea we couldn't coexist with their government was absurd because we "have been since 19xx". Well, were they the second largest economy in 1950-20xx? No they were not and their soft power plays are becoming much more bold. It's almost like the NPR and the media have given up on the ideals of liberal democracy? Good grief.
- seppin 7y agoIt annoys me more that Trump gets credit for "standing up to China" where is is bumbling into a poorly executed trade war that will disappear when his daughter gets more under the table trademark deals for her purses.
- runn1ng 7y agoThe scary thing about Chinese approach is that it seems actually working.
- akvadrako 7y agoIt hasn't been shown to work that well yet. Most quality innovation and research still happens in free-er countries.
- varjag 7y agoCommunist innovation ends when you run out of other people's intellectual property.
- arcturus17 7y agoI laughed, but this is not true. The Soviets had brilliant scientists but were mostly disastrous at engineering and manufacturing. The Chinese on the other hand... Remember, they're not really Communists - Marx would be turning in his grave.
- sudmh 7y agoOf course it works. It didn't work in the past because most autocracies were led by low IQ people. When you factor that out, you get a system that works.
- naiveai 7y agoI detect a not-so-subtle racist twinge in this comment...