Exemplar Partner or Controversial Outsider? Huawei’s Strategic Engagement in Oceania

Abstract

Huawei’s pioneering partnership with Oceania took a dramatic turn in 2018 as its business model is under critical scrutiny. This chapter seeks to examine Huawei’s strategic engagement in Oceania and the rationale behind its recent difficult situations. With an inter-subjective approach, it focuses on Huawei’s strategy and practice, and local partners’ interpretations of and responses to them. The chapter argues that the underlying cause of Huawei’s current difficulty in the region is the fundamental incongruity of values between Huawei and the West, intensified by geopolitical competition. While there is no easy way to resolve the structural problem of great power rivalry in the long term, this chapter suggests Huawei adopt some short- and mid-term tactics to mitigate the risk of getting trapped in geopolitical conflict.