China demands Canada release arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou

The
Huawei logo on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center in
January 2018.
David Becker/Getty
Image

• China is demanding the release of Huawei’s Chief
  Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou, who was detained in Canada at
  the request of US authorities.
• China says that Meng had been arrested without
  explanation and that could be a “violation of her human
  rights.”
• But Canadian law dictates that people are told why they
  have been arrested or detained, and Canada says it cannot offer
  details publicly because of a publication ban requested by Meng
  herself.
• Canada has not publicly said why Meng has been
  arrested, but reports say that she was arrested on suspicion of
  violating the US’s trade sanctions on Iran

• The arrest comes amid a trade war between the US and China
  and has sent global stocks plunging.

China demanded Canada release the Huawei executive
arrested at the request of US authorities, saying she was
arrested without an explanation of the charge which could
violate her human rights.

Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou, was
arrested in Vancouver by the Canadian Justice Department on
Sunday.

US officials want Canada to extradite her, agency
representative Ian McLeod
said in an email to Business Insider. 

The Globe And Mail and South
China Morning Post reported that Meng was arrested on
suspicion of violating the US’s trade sanctions on Iran. But
Huawei spokesman Chase Skinner said in a statement that Huawei is
unclear on why she was detained.

But
Canadian law dictates that people who have been arrested or
detained are given a reason. McLeod told Business Insider that
Canada could not provide more details about the arrest as there
“is a publication ban in effect” that was “sought by Ms.
Meng.”

US authorities have been probing Huawei since at least 2016
for allegedly shipping US-origin products to Iran and other
countries in violation of US export and sanctions laws,
sources told Reuters in April.

The Chinese government said on Thursday that Meng had not broken
any US or Canadian laws and demanded Canada “immediately correct
the mistake” and release her.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that Beijing
asked Washington and Ottawa to “immediately release the detained
person” and to explain the reason for her arrest, saying that
arresting Meng without an explanation of the charge was a
violation of her human rights, the
Associated Press reported.

Read More:



Huawei CFO’s arrest could torpedo Trump and Xi’s ceasefire and
rock the smartphone giant

Skinner said on Wednesday that Huawei “has
been provided very little information regarding the charges and
is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng.”

Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng
Wanzhou,
Huawei

“The company believes the Canadian and US legal systems
will ultimately reach a just conclusion.”

Canadian authorities “provisionally detained” Meng, the
daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, while she was
transferring flights in the country, Skinner said.

The Chinese embassy in Canada also issued strong warnings
about the arrest. 

“The Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly protests over
such kind of actions which seriously harmed the human rights of
the victim,” it said in a
statement.

“We will closely follow the development of the issue and
take all measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and
interests of Chinese citizens.”

Fu Liang, a Beijing-based independent telecom analyst, said that
Canada arresting Meng on behalf of the US is “weird.”

But China regularly asks other countries to extradite individuals
for arrest, including from the
US and
Canada.

Huawei is one of China’s most prominent technology companies and
is the world’s second-biggest smartphone manufacturer.

Read More:
US stocks are set to crater again after Huawei CFO’s arrest adds
to China trade-war jitters

But its devices have come under scrutiny in the US and
elsewhere over spying fears. The head of the UK’s MI6
said this week that Huawei could pose a threat to British
security and New Zealand has blocked its top telecom firm
from
using Huawei equipment for its 5G mobile network, citing
“significant national security risks.”

Meng’s arrest also comes as the US and China try to smooth
tensions in an effort to prevent a mounting trade war.

Global stocks plunged on Thursday as the arrest escalates an
already fraught trade relationship between the two countries.