China arrested former Huawei staff for talking about Iran deal online
Huawei flatly denies being under control of the Chinese
government, but there’s little doubt that China is eager to defend its
technological superstar — at least, with a little prodding. The New York Times
has learned that Chinese police arrested five former Huawei employees in
December 2018 over WeChat discussions of claims the company violated sanctions
against Iran. They didn’t offer tangible evidence of violations (beyond one
saying he could “prove” Huawei sold to Iran), but the mere hint of evidence and
discussions with foreign journalists was apparently enough to spark the
arrests.
The arrest of one ex-employee, Li Hongyuan, sparked outrage
among Chinese residents concerned that he’d been fired solely for demanding
back pay. However, Huawei later said that the arrest wasn’t due to a labor
disagreement and that it was only reporting illegal activity. The new claims
suggest Huawei was not only monitoring the former workers’ chat (reportedly a
common practice), but that it was willing to take advantage of authorities’
protectiveness to silence critics.
Huawei has declined to comment, reiterating its earlier
statement about Li. Shenzhen police also haven’t responded to inquiries.
It’s not completely shocking that Huawei would have leaned
the police. It was at the center of a China-US trade dispute that eventually
led to charges over the alleged Iran sanction violations. However, this also
shows how willing Chinese authorities are to protect Huawei. The company has a
massive presence in China, with dominance of the mobile market and influences
on large swaths of the country’s tech industry. If Li and others offered
evidence that Huawei broke sanctions, it could have serious repercussions for
the country as a whole.
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