Since May 2019, the U.S. government has been trying to destroy China’s Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunication equipment maker. American national security hawks think that it presents a significant threat: if any telecom network uses Huawei equipment anywhere in the world, they argue, China’s military could interfere with U.S. military overseas operations. Many security analysts question this thinking by pointing out that a number of nations, including both China and the U.S., can hack virtually any commercial network — with or without Huawei equipment. But that hasn’t dissuaded the U.S. government.
In the first round of government actions last year, the United States placed Huawei on a list of bad actors — the Entity List — which cuts off Huawei from U.S. suppliers of technology, principally semiconductor chips. But this ban has many loopholes, including the fact that chips made overseas are exempt from the ban. Moreover, the ban spurred Huawei’s already
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Zhongguancun, a neighborhood in Beijing, has long been called 'China's Silicon Valley.' But after achieving remarkable success, Zhongguancun is now undergoing something of a makeover as China attempts to control what type of innovation happens there. Can Beijing reinvent Zhongguancun while still replicating its past success?