China's top diplomat to Canada condemns detention of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou
Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu blasted Ottawa on
Wednesday for its detention of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou,
urging the country to make the "correct decision," as marathon
hearings over her extradition charges wrapped up last Wednesday.
In a phone call with Meng - who's also the daughter of
Huawei billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei - Cong said Canada should face its
"serious mistakes" and acknowledge the "political nature"
of the incident. Cong urged Canada to make the "correct decision" to
release Meng as soon as possible, according to a statement released by Chinese
Embassy in Canada.
Cong went on to tell Meng that "any attempt to bully or
oppress the Chinese people will inevitably be hit hard."
"The Chinese government resolutely safeguards the
legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and enterprises," he
added.
August 26 marks a thousand days since Meng was detained by
Canadian authorities at the Vancouver International Airport in December 2018 at
the behest of the United States, reported CNN. US authorities have charged Meng
with bank fraud.
The charges stem from a meeting Meng had with a senior HSBC
executive on August 22, 2013. She is suspected of violating US trade sanctions
on Iran by failing to disclose Huawei's control over a company called Skycom,
which sold equipment to Iran, in order to get the bank to process the company's
financial transactions. Both Meng and Huawei have denied the accusations.
The arrest ramped up diplomatic tensions between the two
countries. Days after Meng was arrested, the Chinese government detained two
Canadians in Beijing - Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig- on espionage charges.
Spavor was sentenced to 11 years by a Chinese court earlier this month,
reported The Guardian.
Meng's trial to determine whether she is extradited to the
US came to a close on August 19, but it may be months before a decision is
made. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes adjourned the hearing and said she
would announce a date for her ruling on October 21, CNBC reported.
If the extradition goes through, and the 49-year-old is
transferred to the US to stand trial, she could face more than 30 years in
prison if convicted, according to AFP.
Huawei told Insider it does not have a comment for now, but
reiterated from a previous statement that "from the start, Huawei has been
confident in Ms. Meng's innocence and has trusted the Canadian judicial
system," adding "Huawei has been supporting Ms. Meng's pursuit of
justice and freedom. We continue to do so today."
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