5. Huawei in Central and Eastern Europe: Strategic Partner or Potential Threat?

Szunomar and her coauthors analyze Huawei’s operations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by focusing on the company’s activities in Poland, Hungary, and Romania, as these three countries are among the most important European bases for Huawei in the CEE region. The chapter identifies the most important characteristics of Huawei’s operations, how it cooperates with host country institutions, relates to competitors and how employment relations look like. These questions will be examined by relying on firm-level data available from desk research and interviews with current and former Huawei managers. The chapter will also show CEE countries’ approach toward and engagement with the company before and after the Huawei security scandal. The authors examine how China, Huawei, and its growing presence are perceived by the media in the analyzed countries, by using media content analysis.