Trump’s move to prevent U.S. technology firms from supporting Huawei’s product line is leaving the Chinese company with no room to maneuver.
Huawei’s basic problem is that it is both a commercial company and a state-directed intelligence actor. Provided with intellectual property that China’s intelligence services have stolen, supported by funding from Beijing, and directed toward gaining covert access into Western telecommunications networks, Huawei cannot stop being Beijing’s toy. But it cannot be both Beijing’s toy and a successful business.
We’re seeing that play out in real time.
Since President Trump’s ban on U.S. technology support was announced, Huawei is finding a distinct decline in consumer interest. Reuters reports that Huawei phone owners in Asia are trying to resell their phones to secondhand phone merchants, only to find that the merchants aren’t buying. They fear, not unreasonably, that the phones will be worthless without the Google-led app support that Huawei relies on.
Huawei is worthless without Google and other firms. Trump should keep up his effort.
By ensuring that all allies assist the U.S. in restraining Chinese technological malevolence, the U.S. can squelch Huawei’s role in furthering the Chinese regime’s ambition for global dominance.
