Canada has arrested Huawei’s global chief financial officer in Vancouver, where she is facing extradition to the United States on suspicion she violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Meng Wanzhou, who is one of the vice chairs on the Chinese technology company’s board and the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested on Dec. 1 and a court hearing has been set for Friday, a Canadian Justice Department spokesman said, according to the Globe and Mail.
Representatives of Huawei, one of the world’s largest makers of telecommunications network equipment, could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.
Officials for the Canadian and U.S. Justice Departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. authorities have been probing Huawei since at least 2016 for allegedly shipping U.S.-origin products to Iran and other countries in violation of U.S. export and sanctions laws, sources told Reuters in April.
Commentary by The Iranian
Just when we thought that a US/China trade war détente was upon us. Nah. The U.S. is hellbent on creating world chaos at every opportunity. Wanzhou Meng is a rising star and the daughter of the telecom giant’s founder, Ren Zhengfei. As Tyler Durden of ZeroHedge put it: “To understand the magnitude of this arrest, just imagine how the US would react if Beijing arrested Jeff Bezos'(hypothetical) daughter?” The US requested this arrest and is likely to seek her extradition. Who’s taking hostages now? #MAGA
Mood: ?♂️
Update 8:23 pm PT: China Outraged At Arrest Of Huawei CFO, Warns It Will “Take All Measures”
Remarks of the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Canada on the issue of a Chinese citizen arrested by Canadian authorities
“At the request of the US side, the Canadian side arrested a Chinese citizen not violating any American or Canadian law. The Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly protests over such kind of actions which seriously harmed the human rights of the victim. The Chinese side has lodged stern representations with the US and Canadian side, and urged them to immediately correct the wrongdoing and restore the personal freedom of Ms. Meng Wanzhou.
The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng. The company believes the Canadian and U.S. legal systems will ultimately reach a just conclusion.
We will closely follow the development of the issue and take all measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.”
