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Comment by taildrop | Hacker News Reader

Every Chinese company is at least partially owned, controlled, or heavily influenced by the Chinese government. It's just a fact of life given their current system of government.

Ask yourself this question. Would you buy an iPhone if the US Government owned a significant part of Apple? Or could shut down Apple at any time they wished? Would you trust them not to provide your information to US law enforcement or other government entities without due process under those conditions?

Then why would you purchase a phone manufactured by a Chinese company given the same circumstances?

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Every Chinese company is at least partially owned, controlled, or heavily influenced by the Chinese government. It's just a fact of life given their current system of government.

Is this different than American companies who are at least partially funded and/or influenced by the CIA? (Among other sources of government funding...)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-Q-Tel

It's vastly different. You're talking about one affiliated company vs. China's ability to control any Chinese company.

I've worked for one IQT company and it couldn't have been more hands-off.

I haven't worked for a Chinese-backed company, though, so I can't say one way or the other.

I'm sure it could easily have been more hands-on, though. I think all governments engage in this to some degree, or try to, or would like to. It's a natural extension of power, control over the country, getting your hooks into your dependencies. We see how rich people and companies have essentially stopped contributing finanically to the running of the country, which isn't free.

Aren't apple phones made by Chinese companies?

Those companies have no access to the software platform and would be under immense scrutiny by Apple.

> Every Chinese company is at least partially owned, controlled, or heavily influenced by the Chinese government.

This is absolutely not true.

Facts seem to disagree with you.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cover-Story/In-China-priva...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-17/china-s-c...

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/business/china-economy-pr...

The claim was every. Really ? Every company in China is owned or influenced by the government business ? No, not even close.

The companies I have visited and seen are far more interested in minding their own business and wants as little to do with the government as possible.

One thing you will discover if you visit China for a lengthy period is that the government is big on words, but not so much on action.

I mean we just heard about the HEAD of Interpol, who is a Chinese citizen, visit China, disappear for a week with no communication, and suddenly turn in his resignation. And there are other Chinese billionaires who disappeared. And that poor actress.

Does Chinese government need any formal documented ownership of a company to influence its so called owners? I think not.

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