Exclusive | Canada did not inform us of Huawei executive Sabrina Meng Wanzhou’s arrest until asked, China says
- Beijing says Ottawa should have notified Chinese consular officials ‘without delay’ in line with a bilateral agreement
- Canada says notice of her detention was provided on the day of her arrest
Beijing on Tuesday said Canada failed to inform China about the detention of Huawei Technologies executive Sabrina Meng Wanzhou until officials were asked about the case.
The assertion by foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang came just hours after Ottawa insisted it had notified the Chinese consulate in Vancouver on the day of her arrest.
Canada’s Department of Justice told the Post in the early hours of Tuesday that Chinese consular officials had been informed about the case on December 1, but Beijing has accused Ottawa of violating a bilateral agreement by failing to offer timely notice.
“According to the China-Canada consular agreement, the Canadian government should have notified the Chinese consulate without delay,” Lu said on Tuesday at a press conference. “The Chinese authorities did not receive any first notice but were instead informed by other channels.
“You should have asked [Canada] whether the Chinese government found the Canadian government first or the Canadian government notified the Chinese embassy,” Lu said.