Although the United States has been very vocal and vocal about imposing sanctions on China, It seems that their sanctions are all noise, although they lack the teeth to bite properly. In other words, it’s a classic case of being all hats and no cattle.
A recent Bloomberg report has revealed that despite years-long sanctions, Chinese tech giant Huawei has been secretly funding several research projects in the United States.
Sanctions, problems and everything remains normal between China and the US.
This covert funding, channeled through a Washington-based research foundation called Optica, has been supporting cutting-edge research at prestigious American universities, including Harvard.
Bloomberg investigation found that Huawei has been the sole financial sponsor of a research competition managed by Opticawhich grants millions of dollars from 2022.
This competition has attracted numerous proposals from scientists, including those from leading American universities that have banned collaboration with Huawei for national security reasons.
Concerns about this covert funding revolve around the possibility that the research could provide China with gains in both defense contracts and commercial interests.
Optica, the foundation overseeing the research competition, has expressed interest in various research areas, including highly sensitive optical sensors and detectors, according to the report.
However, the acceptance of anonymous funding from a Chinese company like Huawei has raised eyebrows, especially within the US government’s national security circles.
Despite concerns, channeling funds for research purposes appears to be legal, as research intended for publication falls outside the scope of the ban.
Huawei runs similar competitions openly in other parts of the world, but chose to remain anonymous in the US-based initiative. The participants in the contest were unaware of Huawei’s participation, believing that the funds would come from Optica.
A Huawei spokesperson defended the collaboration with Optica and stated that the competition was created to support global research and academic communication.
Anonymity was supposedly maintained to avoid any appearance of promotion.
Optica CEO Liz Rogan echoed this sentiment, stating that anonymous donations are not uncommon and that the board was aware of Huawei’s involvement.
Huawei has faced restrictions in the United States since 2019when former President Trump signed an executive order banning the sale and use of telecommunications equipment deemed risky to national security.
These restrictions have intensified under President Biden, with new measures preventing Huawei from obtaining FCC licenses and banning US investments in China’s high-tech industries.
Despite its challenges in the US market, Huawei continues to thrive in Europe. However, his covert funding of research in the United States has revived concerns about his ties to the Chinese government and its potential impact on U.S. national security.
