The History of Huawei’s Ties to the Chinese Communist Party
- During the 1980s, China had severe import and export restrictions—especially after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre precipitated sanctions. Countries also had strict regulations over what technology could be exported into China.- Despite that, Ren Zhengfei, a former military officer, founded Huawei in 1987 with a meager 21,000 yuan (about $5,000 at the time) and was able to import sensitive equipment. Sanctions forbade Huawei from importing complete sets of equipment. The company turned to importing key components, then manufacturing complementary parts and assembling them in China.
