What’s new: China’s ambassador to Canada made a phone call Monday to Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, reiterating that China will earnestly urge Canada to release her as soon as possible and ensure her safe return to China.
“Justice is in the heart of people — justice will surely come,” Ambassador Cong Peiwu told Meng. She was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver International Airport on a U.S. warrant charging her with bank fraud in representing Huawei to get around U.S. sanctions on Iran.
As Meng’s extradition case proceeds in Canada, she remains under house arrest at her Vancouver home.
The background: Meng’s arrest is seen as a result of U.S.-China rivalry as Huawei has been a key target in the U.S. campaign against China’s technology ascendancy. Last year, the Trump administration added Huawei to the U.S. “Entity List,” cutting it off from American suppliers.
Meng, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, accused the U.S. government in a court filing of using her as a bargaining chip and misleading the Canadian government about evidence in the case.
The extradition case is expected to continue until at least April 30 next year.
Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com).
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