China’s ambassador warns Canada against Huawei 5G ban, saying ‘Meng Wanzhou incident’ should be a lesson
- Cong Peiwu says a ban would ‘send a strong signal’ to Chinese investors and companies that Canada was not conducive to business
- Canada’s decision on whether to allow Huawei to take part in 5G infrastructure is expected soon, after years of delay
Cong Peiwu, addressing a webinar hosted by the Centre for International Governance Innovation think tank on Tuesday, contended that security concerns surrounding Huawei had been “invented by the United States and the main purpose is to crack down on Huawei”.
That triggered a furious response from Beijing, and threw China-Canada relations into turmoil. Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested and accused of spying, but their detentions were widely seen as retaliation for Meng’s treatment.
On September 24, China freed the pair known as the two Michaels and they flew out of Beijing, just as a flight carrying Meng took off from Vancouver. The releases came hours after Meng struck a deferred prosecution agreement with US authorities.
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“[Some are] trying to politicise the issue and to try to abuse and overstretch the concept of national security,” said Cong.
“That is not conducive to people doing business here in Canada. You would be sending out a very strong signal to Chinese companies.”
He urged Canada not to listen to US concerns about Huawei and instead provide a “just, fair, open and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese investors and companies”.
The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has flagged a decision on Huawei soon, with officials suggesting it would come during the current sitting of parliament; Trudeau said after winning the September 20 election that it would be announced in a matter of weeks.
“Who gives the US the right to determine which country is democratic or not … there are so many systems for democracy around the world. Certainly, the US is in no position to decide,” said Cong.
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“It’s the lie of the century,” said Cong, who added that “all the people from different ethnic groups are living in harmony and they’re enjoying happy lives”.
“Those are actually vocational educational schools for those people who are radicalised by extremist thinking,” said Cong.
“We make sure that those people learn laws, regulations and certain skills in the school. After they graduate with the help of local governments they all found decent jobs.”
Local authorities, Cong said, were helping Uygurs in the facilities “live happily in society and enjoy very good relationships with their family members, with their friends … It’s a great practice for deradicalisation”.
Human rights groups and a UN committee say that as many as 1 million Uygurs have been detained in camps there and subjected to indoctrination, torture and forced labour.
Trudeau and his government have shied away from using “genocide” to describe the situation in Xinjiang.
Cong’s webinar came a day after Canada’s ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, announced his resignation. Barton said that helping secure Beijing’s release of Kovrig and Spavor had been “the honour of a lifetime”.