Nicole Perlroth
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Highways and bridges.
Highways and bridges.
But a couple of years into Belt and Road, China quietly announced a new initiative under the same umbrella, the Digital Silk Road.
But a couple of years into Belt and Road, China quietly announced a new initiative under the same umbrella, the Digital Silk Road.
Officially, Digital Silk Road was to help usher developing nations into the internet age. But by providing them with cheap fiber optics cables, networks, routers, and switches, it also guaranteed the PRC permanent footing in the world's digital backbone.
Officially, Digital Silk Road was to help usher developing nations into the internet age. But by providing them with cheap fiber optics cables, networks, routers, and switches, it also guaranteed the PRC permanent footing in the world's digital backbone.
Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE sold these companies on the promise of total digital optimization at sweet subsidized bargain basement prices.
Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE sold these companies on the promise of total digital optimization at sweet subsidized bargain basement prices.
They'd frequently quote 20, 30, even 40% cheaper pricing than Western competitors like Cisco and Ericsson. This all but guaranteed global adoption.
They'd frequently quote 20, 30, even 40% cheaper pricing than Western competitors like Cisco and Ericsson. This all but guaranteed global adoption.
Has Huawei stolen trade secrets from Cisco?
Has Huawei stolen trade secrets from Cisco?
And they're still stealing, right? I mean, to the tune of $600 billion a year, Gordon. Well, it's hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
And they're still stealing, right? I mean, to the tune of $600 billion a year, Gordon. Well, it's hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
And that pricing made it mighty easy to ignore Washington's admonitions about potential security risks.
And that pricing made it mighty easy to ignore Washington's admonitions about potential security risks.
U.S. officials have been especially quick to note that Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei, started his career as an engineer in the Chinese military, the PLA. Ren's PLA background consumed Huawei's entire culture, even its vernacular. Sales guys were known as guerrillas. Ren called his engineers soldiers. Their managers, generals. Altogether, Huawei's employees were Ren's, quote, iron army.
U.S. officials have been especially quick to note that Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei, started his career as an engineer in the Chinese military, the PLA. Ren's PLA background consumed Huawei's entire culture, even its vernacular. Sales guys were known as guerrillas. Ren called his engineers soldiers. Their managers, generals. Altogether, Huawei's employees were Ren's, quote, iron army.
Even their salaries? Rations. And in Huawei's earliest days, Ren had a saying. A country without its own program-controlled switches is like one without an army. As Ren himself alluded, what companies like Huawei, and it wasn't just Huawei, but ZTE and others, what they were doing, building out the world's digital backbone, it gave China the keys to global data flows.
Even their salaries? Rations. And in Huawei's earliest days, Ren had a saying. A country without its own program-controlled switches is like one without an army. As Ren himself alluded, what companies like Huawei, and it wasn't just Huawei, but ZTE and others, what they were doing, building out the world's digital backbone, it gave China the keys to global data flows.