Huawei's 'Iron Army' — Reading Room

Plus, China's new weapons of war. |  |   
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#### Weekly newsletter | January 12th, 2025  
  
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|  **Good evening.  **Given the pace and intensity of China news in the past five years, it can be easy to lose sight of the long build-up that preceded today’s tensions. Case in point: The very first calls to restrict U.S. technology sales to Huawei came all the way back in 2001. Our cover story this week, an excerpt from Eva Dou’s new book, tells the story of how Huawei first inspired the ire of the U.S. government. Elsewhere we have infographics showing the Chinese links in TP-Link; an interview with Fiona Cunningham on how China wields its new weapons of war; a reported piece on developing countries wanting more than just cash from China; and an op-ed from Lizzi Lee on how Xi Jinping became a prisoner of his Party’s language. If you’re not already a paid subscriber to _The Wire_ , please sign up here.  
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_Illustration by  Luis Grañena_  
|  **Huawei’s ‘Iron Army’** Long before Huawei exploded onto the U.S. national stage in 2019, the Chinese telecom firm was daring to build a global presence by chasing rogue regimes. In this excerpt from the new book, _House of Huawei: The Secret History of China’s Most Powerful Company_ , Eva Dou tells the story of how Huawei set up shop in Iraq before the fall of Saddam Hussein — and popped up as a threat to U.S. national security for the first time in the process.  
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A TP-Link booth at CES 2024, held from January 9-12, 2024, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada. _Credit:  TP-Link_  
|  **The Big Picture: How Chinese Is TP-Link?** The electronics firm has tried to separate its U.S. arm from China as national security concerns mount. Noah Berman reports.  
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### **A Q &A with Fiona Cunningham**

Fiona Cunningham, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that China has found a novel way to coerce its adversaries in future wars, even with fewer nuclear weapons and a weaker military than the United States. In a book published this week, _Under the Nuclear Shadow: China’s Information-Age Weapons in International Security_ , she explains how China has given a “starring role” to a new class of armaments. In this week’s interview with Noah Berman, she discusses why China developed these “information-age” weapons and where this pursuit fits into the country’s overall military strategy. Fiona Cunningham  
_Illustration  by Lauren Crow_  
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Jorge Viana, President of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), delivers a speech at the Brazil-China Business Seminar, in Beijing, March 29, 2023. _Credit:  ApexBrasil_  
|  **Developing Countries Want More Than Just Cash From China** Emerging markets are still welcoming towards Chinese capital — but increasingly on their own terms. Rachel Cheung reports.  
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Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a toast after delivering a speech during celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Macao's handover, December 19, 2024. _Credit: Anthony Kwan via  AP Images_  
|  **How Xi Jinping Became a Prisoner of His Party’s Language** As the ultimate institutionalist, Lizzi Lee argues, Xi derives his power and authority from the Party’s ideology, rhetoric, and rules — but now finds himself constrained by them.  
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