Canada pressures US to help resolve dispute with China over arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou
- In a sign of increasing frustration at what it sees as a lacklustre US response, Ottawa might withhold cooperation on major issues
- China has upped the pressure on Canada in recent weeks over the arrest of Meng
Canada is leaning on the United States to help settle a dispute with China, which has started to block imports of vital Canadian commodities amid a dispute over a detained Huawei executive.
In a sign of increasing frustration at what it sees as a lacklustre US response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is signalling it could withhold cooperation on major issues.
China has upped the pressure on Canada in recent weeks over the arrest of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, arrested last December on a US warrant. It halted Canadian canola imports and last week suspended the permits of two major pork producers.
After Meng’s Vancouver arrest, Chinese police also detained two Canadian citizens.
Beijing is refusing to allow a Canadian trade delegation to visit, forcing officials to use video conference calls as they try to negate a major threat to commodity exports.