I've read in multiple places that AMD's resurgence is largely attributable to controversial IP deals and partnerships made with China, providing a struggling AMD with the resources necessary for Zen development.
The first Zen chips taped out well before that WSJ article. AMD's deals with China have helped their financial situation some, but they're not what allowed Zen products to exist in the first place.
e.g. https://www.wsj.com/articles/amd-to-license-chip-technology-...
Edit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD%E2%80%93Chinese_joint_vent...