Chinese envoy says US 'trouble maker' in China-Canada relationship

China’s ambassador to Ottawa reportedly said that the United States is using the case of Huawei Technologies Co executive to create trouble between China-Canada relations. According to media reports, Ambassador Cong Peiwu said that the US has been taking advantage of Canada and insinuated that Washington is interfering with its neighbour’s judiciary.

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, detained by Canada in December 2018, is currently under house arrest in Vancouver and wanted by the United States on charges of bank fraud. On May 27, Meng lost a key battle in a Canadian court to avoid extradition to the United States.

Prosecutors accused Meng, a Chinese citizen and daughter of Huawei’s billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, of misleading a bank in the US on Huawei’s relationship with a company operating in Iran, putting it at risk of penalties for flouting US sanctions on Tehran. However, defence lawyers have argued that the case is about the US sanctions on Iran and not a bank fraud case, adding that Canada has repudiated the sanctions.

British Columbia’s Superior Court judge Heather Holmes ruled that the legal standard of double criminality had been met. Holmes said that Meng’s approach would seriously limit Canada’s ability to fulfil its international obligations in the extradition context for fraud and other economic crimes.

Read: Boris Johnson Plans To Scale Back Huawei Role In UK's 5G Network: Report

'Grave political incident'

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa expressed “strong dissatisfaction” and firm opposition to the court’s decision and accused Canada of acting as an accomplice of the United States in bringing down Huawei and other Chinese companies. The embassy said in a statement that the US and Canada gravely violated the lawful rights and interests of Meng by abusing their bilateral extradition treaty.

“The whole case is entirely a grave political incident...We once again urge Canada to take China's solemn position and concerns seriously, immediately release Ms Meng WAnzhou to allow her to return safely to China, and not go further down the wrong path,” the embassy added.

Read: 'Survival Is At Stake’: Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei After US Tightens Noose On Exports