Huawei's "sunspots" controversy, the pain of domestic technology giants
Huawei, this resounding name has long been hung in the global technology community. From a small workshop to a Fortune 500 company, Huawei has used its own strength to interpret what it means to be "Made in China". But just as Huawei became famous, it also encountered doubts and criticism from home and abroad, and was labeled as "Huawei's sunspot".
Speaking of Huawei's family history, it is really moving. Since its inception in 1987, Ren Zhengfei has led Huawei to glory step by step with the concept of "self-reliance and independent innovation". After more than 30 years of development, Huawei has become the world's leading communications equipment supplier and mobile phone manufacturer. Whether it is 5G communication technology or smart phones, Huawei is a well-deserved leader.
But even as Huawei grows stronger, more and more voices question its security and business methods. Some have accused Huawei equipment of being a security hazard and could be used by the Chinese government for espionage. Others criticized Huawei's "996 for work" culture, which deprives employees of their rights. Some companies have accused Huawei of infringing on their own patents.
These doubts and accusations have undoubtedly cast a shadow on Huawei, the "light of domestic production". Huawei has not shown weakness in this regard, and has publicly responded and denied it many times. But even so, the turmoil of "Huawei sunspots" has intensified, and even evolved into an international-level "public opinion war".
The focus of the Huawei "sunspot" controversy
When it comes to the "Huawei sunspots" controversy, the first thing to talk about is the security of Huawei equipment. Some governments and agencies have questioned the potential for Huawei's communications equipment to be used by the Chinese government to steal information and conduct espionage activities.
Such skepticism is not unfounded. As early as 2012, the U.S. Congress issued a report saying that Huawei and ZTE equipment posed security risks, and advised U.S. government agencies not to purchase their products. Later, the British government expressed similar concerns about Huawei's 5G equipment.
In the face of these accusations, Huawei has repeatedly responded publicly, firmly denying that its devices have any backdoors or security vulnerabilities. Huawei also invited a party organization to conduct a thorough inspection and evaluation of its equipment. These efforts do not seem to have completely cleared the suspicions.
In addition to security issues, Huawei has also been criticized for its employees' rights issues. A former employee once broke the news that Huawei's "self-pressurized" culture and "996" work system have seriously deprived employees of their rights and interests. In addition, Huawei's "employee stock ownership" mechanism has also been controversial and has been accused of being unfair.
In this regard, Huawei defended that the so-called "996" is only an isolated case, and the working hours of most employees are reasonable. As for the shareholding mechanism, Huawei believes that it is conducive to the common development of employees and the company.
Then there are the intellectual property disputes. In recent years, Huawei has been involved in patent battles with a number of companies, such as the one with Qualcomm. The two sides come and go, accusing each other of infringement. This has undoubtedly also had a negative impact on Huawei's image.
The biggest blow to Huawei is the US government's sanctions. In 2019, the U.S. added Huawei to its "Entity List" on the grounds that it posed a national security threat, prohibiting U.S. companies from selling products to Huawei. This has dealt a heavy blow to Huawei's supply chain.
Huawei's road to greater glory will continue to be even more brilliant
Looking at the entire "Huawei sunspot" controversy, it is not difficult for us to find that there are both objective problems and subjective groundless suspicions. It is undeniable that Huawei does have some areas for improvement in terms of business operations and employee management. But it would be biased to demonize it, or even to see it as a "national security threat."
Huawei has become an outstanding representative of China's independent innovation in science and technology. Huawei is in a leading position in many fields such as 5G communications, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing, and its innovation capabilities and technical strength are obvious to all. As of the end of 2022, Huawei has secured 92 5G commercial contracts, leading the world in the number of 5G standard patent applications.
In the field of smartphones, Huawei is also a well-deserved leader. Despite the impact of US sanctions, Huawei's global shipments of mobile phones are still among the best. Huawei has successfully developed the HarmonyOS and created a controllable ecosystem for itself.
Huawei is using its own practical actions to interpret what a truly independent and innovative technology company should look like. In the face of many obstacles, it was not crushed, but became more and more courageous and rose to the occasion. This spirit of tenacious struggle is exactly a portrayal of China's scientific and technological strength.
We must also take a rational view of the phenomenon of "black Huawei". The roots of this phenomenon are largely rooted in ideological differences and business competition. Some Western countries are wary of China's rise in science and technology, and some multinational companies also see Huawei as a threat, so they will intentionally or unintentionally smear and suppress Huawei.
In the face of this situation, we should be more rational and objective, neither blindly pursue Huawei, nor be unreasonably suspicious of it. On the contrary, we should continue to support and pay attention to domestic scientific and technological forces such as Huawei, and witness the continuous growth of China's scientific and technological strength.