Huawei - China’s secret weapon

From RedHerring.com: China’s secret weapon - Despite ethical and other questions, Huawei is proving a mysterious force to be reckoned with.

"If China is the “awakening dragon,” then Huawei Technologies, China’s largest telecom equipment company, could be its strongest hatchling. The company has gone from the largest seller of telecom equipment in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to a giant in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, Russia, and the Middle East."

"Today, Huawei has 50 branch offices and 22,000 employees. The company’s headquarters, still in Shenzhen, consists of more than half a dozen buildings on a 1.3-square-kilometer campus. Multinational-quality digs are financed in part from international earnings: Huawei’s sales in 2003 topped $3.8 billion, over $1 billion of that from overseas sales. The company expects international revenue for 2004 to reach $2 billion, and says that number will account for 40 percent of its total 2004 sales, which are expected to top $5 billion. "

"“In 2005, we want to achieve over $4 billion in sales from the international market, and $3 billion in the domestic market–not including sales [related to] 3G,” says Mr. Hu. “If China doesn’t issue 3G licenses in 2005, then it could be the first time our overseas sales would exceed domestic sales.”"

"Huawei was neither an outgrowth nor a recipient of government attempts to develop “the Sony of China.” Instead it was an independent, entrepreneurial company that sought to seize the domestic market and slowly grow itself, pouring money into research and development (46 percent of its employees are currently involved in R&D, with centers all over the world, including Dallas and Beijing). "Read more