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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