Chinese companies are rallying support for Huawei after Canadian authorities arrested the company’s CFO for bypassing embargoes. The “Five Eyes” intelligence community has also warned both consumers and governments to avoid Huawei phones and other products. As it turns out, Huawei products may pass information back to the Chinese government.
Companies have rallied around Huawei in China, possibly at the suggestion of the Chinese government. Some companies are offering rewards to employees who buy Huawei devices. Other companies are threatening to confiscate and fire employees who purchase or use iPhones.
Huawei Incentives
A number of Chinese companies have offered employees incentives to buy Huawei products. This includes subsidizing a portion or all of the purchase price. Others are offering to pay employees with cash, gift cards, and even booze for showing a receipt for a Huawei phone. One company is offering to buy employees two Huawei phones.
iPhone Hate
Other companies are taking a nastier approach. Rather than rewarding employees—positive reinforcement—they’ve chosen to instead punish employees. They’ll confiscate iPhones from employees who refuse to buy a new Huawei or ZTE device. Some will fire employees who don’t or can’t afford to comply with the new directives. Others have promised to withhold bonuses from iPhone owners.
The iPhone, though designed by Apple, a United States company, is assembled and manufactured in China. Foxconn, one of the companies Apple uses to assemble products, is one of China’s largest employers. Apple products help the Chinese economy as much as the U.S. economy. However, they don’t have the oversight of the Chinese government, and therefore may fall out of favor with companies eager to appease the government.
The Real Enemy: China’s Government
China’s government is oppressive of free thought. They’re obsessed with spying, facial recognition technology, and hampering free speech. The government filters all internet traffic in China. People can find themselves the target of ire if they’re searching for “unwelcome” ideas.
The Chinese government also often influences Chinese companies. They force them to engage in spying or keeping their employees in line. This anti-iPhone stance reeks of government interference. However, we can’t jump to conclusions. American businesses have similarly threatened to fire liberals, ban gays, and fall in line with other far-right ideas. Perhaps this is just the move of extremely “patriotic” business owners?
Defaulting to trust is great when it’s your friends and coworkers. It seems silly to trust a government that won’t even let its populace search for “Tiananmen Square.” If you’re an employee in China, I’m surprised you can even access this site. But, since you can, be careful if you have an iPhone. Maybe someone will make a case that makes your iPhone look like a Huawei P20 Pro?
Source: Alex Allegro, 9to5Mac