China Summons US Ambassador Over Huawei Official’s Arrest
For a week, the chief financial officer of the Chinese tech group Huawei has been detained in Canada. She should have violated Iran sanctions. The Beijing government now appoints Canada’s ambassador.
According to the Canadian Ambassador, the Chinese government has also summoned the US Ambassador in the case of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who is being detained in Vancouver.
China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng has made “fierce protest” to Ambassador Terry Branstad, the Foreign Ministry said in Beijing. The rights and interests of a Chinese citizen are “seriously” violated. The US should immediately lift the arrest warrant against Meng, Yuchenq demanded.
On Saturday, the Chinese government had already summoned the Canadian ambassador, also in this case to talk with Yuchenq. China again demanded from Canada the release of Huawei’s boss. The actions of the Canadian authorities ignore the law and are “disgusting”.
Arrest at the instigation of the US authorities
The chief financial officer of Chinese tech group Huawei, who is also deputy chief executive officer and a subsidiary of group founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested last Saturday at the instigation of the US authorities in Canada.
They accuse Meng of a fraudulent violation of US Iran sanctions. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison. Whether she is released on bail, should decide a court in Vancouver on Monday.
In the financial markets, the incident had sparked concerns about a renewed escalation of the trade dispute between China and the US and occasionally led to sharp price losses.
Huawei, with its 180,000 employees, is the world’s largest network equipment supplier and the second largest producer of smartphones. The rise and expansion of foreign business in recent years have been rapid.
However, the ownership structure is opaque, and Western intelligence agencies have security concerns. They fear interference by the government in Beijing, espionage and disruption of national networks.
