Huawei - A Case Study in China's Tech Ambitions and Geopolitical Power Plays
Book Review of “House of Huawei: Inside the Secret World of China's Most Powerful Company” by Eva Dou
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55763/ippr.2025.06.03.005Abstract
This review of Eva Dou’s book, "House of Huawei: Inside the Secret World of China's Most Powerful Company", examines the Chinese tech company’s rise from being a Shenzen pilot project in the 1980s to being caught in today’s geopolitical quagmire. By situating the company against the backdrop of China's changing political economy, it highlights China's tech ambitions and increasing securitisation of technology amidst escalating US-China tensions.
Keywords:
US, China, 5G, Surveillance, Huawei, Innovation, GeopoliticsDownloads
References
Arumi, Javier B. 2022. “When China and Japan were friends.” Javier Borras Substack. https://javierborras.substack.com/p/when-china-and-japan-were-friends
Daum, Jeremy. 2024. “What China's National Intelligence Law Says, And Why it Doesn't Matter.” China Law Translate —. https://www.chinalawtranslate.com/en/what-the-national-intelligence-law-says-and-why-it-doesnt-matter/
“Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) - China | Data.” n.d. World Bank Data. Accessed July 17, 2025. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.KLT.DINV.WD.GD.ZS?locations=CN
Gebski, Sebastian. 2025. “House of Huawei: The Secret History of China's Most Pow….” Goodreads. https://goodreads.com/book/show/214490408
Nikakhtar, Nazak. 2021. “U.S. Businesses Must Navigate Significant Risk of Chinese Government Access to Their Data.” Wiley. https://www.wiley.law/newsletter-Mar-2021-PIF-US-Businesses-Must-Navigate-Significant-Risk-of-Chinese-Government-Access-to-Their-Data
Schell, Orville, and John Delury. 2014. Wealth and Power: China's Long March to the Twenty-first Century. N.p.: Random House Publishing Group.
Taylor, Mark Z. 2016. The Politics of Innovation: Why Some Countries are Better Than Others at Science and Technology. N.p.: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190464127.001.0001
