Lessons In Chinese Self Defense: Huawei Open Letter To US Media

"The US is a shining example of how to inspire passion for technological innovation and development. We too have been inspired by your history of creativity and hard work"

So much so we love to copy anything you invent!

#1, thanks for sharing that. One sentence from Huawei's ad I'd like to highlight and expound on:

On behalf of Huawei, I would like to invite members of the US media to visit our campuses and meet our employees.

The bigger need, for us and most journalists, with any company, is directly answering difficult questions. We do not need to go to China or Germany or Canada or wherever to have those answered.

You mention Hikvision, so questions like:

• Why was the backdoor placed in your cameras?
• Why do your own financial reports say the Chinese government is your controlling shareholder?
• Why did your own marketing video show minority analytics and then you hide it after being called out?
• How can you be a commercial business while your Chairman is a member of the Chinese national government?
• Etc., etc.

Going to Hikvision campus or meeting their mid-level employees will not answer these central questions. They either can or cannot be answered. Having a banquet in Hangzhou will not change this.

More broadly, Huawei's invitation has created a stir amongst journalist, most notably this Washington Post reporter's response:

INBOX: #Huawei is inviting me on an all-expenses-paid junket to China? That's gonna be a hard pass. Any American journalist who takes Huawei money should be ashamed and shamed. pic.twitter.com/F6ihsSXObk

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) March 1, 2019

The counter to this is that Western companies offer media junkets as well (that's true in our industry, though the biggest we've seen is this Hikvision media junket). However, real journalists and independent media would never agree to do.

So Huawei's approach is likely to get a warm response from media, like our industry's trade magazine editors, who are fine with effectively trading positive coverage for gifts from companies they cover but are going to be met with significant resistance and opposition from independent journalists.

• Why did your own marketing video show minority analytics and then you hide it after being called out?

Is the hiding of the analytics after the expose in that link? I’ll I saw was:

While Hikvision has not marketed this...

...Hikvision corporate acknowledged our questions on this topic but declined comment.

Not saying they didn’t hide it, but just want to read about it.

Top tier KGB-style propaganda letter.

That's precisely how commies operated when USSR was still a thing....

Step One: Identify whose who are supportive of commie ideas

Step Two: Invite them to visit USSR covering all expenses

Step Three: Ensure that those who sing along the party lines are appropriately compensated

Vice went and below is the video from the visit:

Huawei did not come off well but Vice's reporter, while asking a few pointed questions, did not press.