Scott Kennedy on Huawei's Role in the Global Tech Sector

As tensions continue to escalate between the United States and China, technology has become a focal point of growing bilateral competition. One of China’s top high-tech companies, Huawei, is the subject of scrutiny from competitors as well as governments across the globe, as it faces accusations of violating sanctions, stealing trade secrets, and compromising user privacy. Nevertheless, Huawei is at the forefront in the commercialization of 5G technology, the next generation of wireless networks that will power our phones, computers, and even autonomous vehicles. Dr. Scott Kennedy of CSIS explains how Huawei got its start, how secure its devices are, and what its role will be in the tech sector for years to come.     Scott Kennedy is senior adviser of the Freeman Chair in China Studies and director of the Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). A leading authority on China’s economic policy and its global economic relations, specific areas of focus include industrial policy, technology innovation, business lobbying, multinational business challenges in China, global governance, and philanthropy. Dr. Kennedy has been traveling to China for almost 30 years and has interviewed thousands of officials, business executives, lawyers, nonprofit organizations, and scholars. He is the author of The Fat Tech Dragon: Benchmarking China’s Innovation Drive (CSIS, 2017); (with Chris Johnson) Perfecting China Inc.: China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (CSIS, 2016), and The Business of Lobbying in China(Harvard University Press, 2005). He has edited three books, including Global Governance and China: The Dragon's Learning Curve (Routledge, 2018), and Beyond the Middle Kingdom: Comparative Perspectives on China’s Capitalist Transformation (Stanford University Press, 2011). His articles have appeared in a wide array of policy, popular, and academic venues, including the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, China Quarterly,China Journal, and the Journal of Contemporary China. Dr. Kennedy is a fellow in the National Committee's Public Intellectuals Program.