US Government Pressures AT&T To Kill Huawei Handset Deal ; French President Macron Goes To China; PRC Influence And Espionage Scandal In Taiwan; Financial Crackdown Signaling; Hu Shuli Steps Down As Caixin Editor In Chief

Poor Huawei, the company was just about to announce a deal with AT&T to sell its handsets through the American carrier when the US government reportedly pressured AT&T to kill the deal. That is going to have more people in Beijing wondering why major US phone makers can have Chinese carrier deals but PRC handset manufacturers can not have US deals. Reciprocity, which many in the US are pushing for, goes both ways.

The Essential Eight

1. US Government Pressures AT&T To Kill Huawei Handset Deal 

Huawei’s U.S. Smartphone Deal With AT&T Killed by ‘Political Pressure’-The Information $$:

Huawei’s deal with AT&T to sell its flagship phone in the U.S. was killed just days ago due to “political pressure,” according to a person familiar with the deal. On Dec. 20, members of the Senate and House intelligence committees sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission raising fresh concerns about Huawei’s plans to launch consumer products through a major U.S. telecom carrier. The letter, which…