ITIF-逆火：出口管制帮助华为，伤害美国企业（英）-2025.10.pdfVIP

Backfire:ExportControlsHelpedHuawei

andHurtU.S.Firms

RODRIGOBALBONTIN|OCTOBER2025

HuaweiisamoreinnovativecompanytodaythanitwasbeforetheU.S.governmentsoughtto

chokeitssupplychain.Thiscaseshouldserveasalesson:U.S.techno-economicpoweris

weakerthanmostthink,andsanctionsoftenhurtU.S.competitivenessmorethanChina’s.

KEYTAKEAWAYS

ThefirstTrumpadministrationtriedtolimitsalesofHuawei’stelecomequipmentin

Americaandothernationsduetocybersecurityconcerns.Theadministrationlater

imposedexportcontrolsonHuaweiinanattempttokillitfordoingbusinesswithIran.

TheU.S.government’srationaleforitsactionsagainstHuaweiisalegacyofanearlierera

whenAmericahadenoughpowertoimposecripplingsanctionswithoutharmingitsown

companies’competitiveness.

BecauseofU.S.actions,Huaweidevelopeditsownoperatingsystem(OS),builtitsown

chips,andboughtequipmentfromothernations.

DespiteU.S.actionsagainstHuawei,itremainstheworld’slargesttelecomequipment

manufacturer,witha34percentglobalmarketsharein2024,up2percentagepoints

from2018.

Meanwhile,Huaweisucceededinboostingitsglobalmarketshareintelecomequipment

andexpandingintonewmarkets,suchassmartautomotivesolutions.Indeed,Huawei

assertsthatithasbuiltanecosystementirelyindependentfromU.S.technologies.

WhileexportcontrolsmadeHuaweiamorerobustcompetitor,theyalsohurtU.S.

technologycompanies—reducingtheirsalestoHuaweiby$33billionbetween2021and

2024—andtheytriggeredretaliationfromtheChinesegovernment.

It’stimefortheU.S.governmenttorethinktheuseofexportcontrolsonChina,

recognizingthatthisisanewerawhentheeffectisjustaslikelytobackfireandhurt

American