There’s a new twist in the trade war between China and the US after international media outlets have revealed that at the request of the USA, the daughter of the founder of Huawei was arrested on December 1 while in Vancouver, Canada.
Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, was arrested on Saturday and according to Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, she faces extradition to the United States on suspicion of violating US trade sanctions against Iran.
According to the Canadian Justice Department, Ms. Weng will appear in court for a bail hearing on December 7.
The Canadian Justice Department did not however confirm the charges Ms. Weng would face as it told The Globe and Mail that the Huawei CFO had sought a publication ban, thus further details could not be provided.
Huawei confirmed to the Canadian newspaper that its CFO faces “unspecified charges in the Eastern District of New York” and that she was arrested when she was transferring flights in Canada.
When the news became public on December 5, China voiced strong opposition to her detention and demanded her release.
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A statement from the Chinese embassy in Canada says Ms. Meng had not violated any Canadian or US law and that her human rights were being violated.
According to Chinese Global Television Network (CGTN), the statement reads, “”At the request of the U.S. side, the Canadian side arrested a Chinese citizen not violating any American or Canadian law … The Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly protests over such kind of actions which seriously harmed the human rights of the victim.”
Meng Wengzhou, 46, began working as a secretary in 1993 for a company that her father, Ren Zhengfei had formed in 1987. The company, Huawei, would grow to become a multinational telecommunications-equipment and consumer-electronics company and the largest private firm in China.
Her arrest comes in the wake of a trade war between China and the US, based on disputed tariffs placed on goods traded between the two giants. In turn, both nations have been rallying allies and trading partners to pick sides.
The arrest by Canada of such a high profile Chinese company executive, signifies the stand that the Canadians have taken.
Complicating matters further is the fact that over the weekend during a G20 summit in Argentina, US President Donald Trump and his China counterpart Xi Jinping reached a temporary truce over the trade dispute.
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