Chinese embassy says the US is trying to suppress Huawei with ‘typical bullying behaviour’
- Diplomats in Canada hit back a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contrasted treatment of Meng Wanzhou with that of two Canadians ‘arbitrarily detained’ in China
- Meng, a senior executive with the tech giant, is currently on bail in Vancouver where she is fighting extradition to the US
China’s embassy in Canada accused the US of trying to suppress the Chinese tech giant Huawei with unwarranted charges in what it calls “typical bullying behaviour”.
An embassy statement to Associated Press on Friday said the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada at the request of US authorities was “of course different” from China’s detention of two Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and accused the US and Canada of arbitrary detention.
“The Meng Wanzhou incident is not just a judicial case, but the US using state power to work with its certain ally to suppress a private hi-tech Chinese enterprise on unwarranted charges. This is a typical bullying behaviour,” the statement said.
Beijing detained Kovrig and Spavor on December 10 in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder. They have since been charged with spying.
China threatened Canada with grave consequences after Meng was arrested at Vancouver’s airport on December 1 on behalf of the US, which wants her extradited on fraud charges.
“Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested according to law for suspected crimes endangering China’s national security. China is country with rule of law,” the embassy statement said.
No evidence has been provided in the Kovrig and Spavor cases and they have not been allowed access to family members or lawyers while in Chinese custody.
Meng is accused of lying to banks about the company’s dealing with Iran in violation of US trade sanctions. She is currently on bail in Vancouver and living in her multimillion-dollar mansion awaiting extradition proceedings.
China and the US are currently embroiled in a trade war that has hit global financial markets, but Pompeo said Meng is not a bargaining chip in the two countries’ trade talks.
Meng’s detention severely damaged Beijing’s relations with Ottawa and China has stopped importing certain Canadian products such as canola and meat.
It also increased a convicted Canadian drug smuggler’s sentence from imprisonment to death following Meng’s arrest as part of an apparent campaign of intimidation and retribution against Canada.
