There was a furious reaction by China to the arrest of a top executive and daughter of the founder of Chinese telecom giant Huawei in Canada after an extradition request was placed by the United States. This development has threatened to destabilize the temporary truce between the US and China was achieved last week between US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping.
It has been reported that Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was detained in the wake of investigations in the US about alleged violations of US sanctions on Iran by Huawei. The allegations were already being examined by US intelligence officials and the Chinese company is believed to be a national threat for the US.
"We have made solemn representations to Canada and the US, demanding that both parties immediately clarify the reasons for the detention, and immediately release the detainee to protect the person's legal rights," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Canada's ministry of justice said in a statement on Wednesday that Meng was arrested in the western city of Vancouver on December 1. This announcement prompted the Chinese embassy to say that it had "seriously harmed the human rights of the victim".
The Canadian ministry had clarified that Meng was arrested at the behest of the US seeking her extradition but did not offer any further details because of a publication ban sought by Meng. Her father and Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei is a former Chinese People's Liberation Army engineer.
The company it was not aware of any illegal activities by Meng and that it was provided "very little information" about the charges, Huawei said in a statement. Earlier this year, the Chinese company overtook Apple Inc., as the second largest smartphone maker of the world.
"Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the UN, US and EU," the company said in a statement.
Reports about the US Department of Justice initiating an investigation into alleged and suspected violations of US imposed Iran sanctions by Huawei was first published in The Wall Street Journal in April this year.
Allegations of violations of the US sanctions on Iran and North Korea had resulted in the Chinese tech giant being , The New York Times said.
"China is working creatively to undermine our national security interests, and the United States and our allies can't sit on the sidelines," said US Senator Ben Sasse in a statement linking the arrest to US sanctions against Iran.
The day the arrest was made was the same day that a temporary truce to the trade war between the US and China was reached between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Argentina. .
Meng's arrest could be used as a "bargaining chip" in the trade talks, said Ye Tan, an independent Chinese economist.
"The talks will continue but it's going to be a lot more tense with higher stakes," Ye told news agency AFP.
(Source:www.ndtv.com)
It has been reported that Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was detained in the wake of investigations in the US about alleged violations of US sanctions on Iran by Huawei. The allegations were already being examined by US intelligence officials and the Chinese company is believed to be a national threat for the US.
"We have made solemn representations to Canada and the US, demanding that both parties immediately clarify the reasons for the detention, and immediately release the detainee to protect the person's legal rights," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Canada's ministry of justice said in a statement on Wednesday that Meng was arrested in the western city of Vancouver on December 1. This announcement prompted the Chinese embassy to say that it had "seriously harmed the human rights of the victim".
The Canadian ministry had clarified that Meng was arrested at the behest of the US seeking her extradition but did not offer any further details because of a publication ban sought by Meng. Her father and Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei is a former Chinese People's Liberation Army engineer.
The company it was not aware of any illegal activities by Meng and that it was provided "very little information" about the charges, Huawei said in a statement. Earlier this year, the Chinese company overtook Apple Inc., as the second largest smartphone maker of the world.
"Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the UN, US and EU," the company said in a statement.
Reports about the US Department of Justice initiating an investigation into alleged and suspected violations of US imposed Iran sanctions by Huawei was first published in The Wall Street Journal in April this year.
Allegations of violations of the US sanctions on Iran and North Korea had resulted in the Chinese tech giant being , The New York Times said.
"China is working creatively to undermine our national security interests, and the United States and our allies can't sit on the sidelines," said US Senator Ben Sasse in a statement linking the arrest to US sanctions against Iran.
The day the arrest was made was the same day that a temporary truce to the trade war between the US and China was reached between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Argentina. .
Meng's arrest could be used as a "bargaining chip" in the trade talks, said Ye Tan, an independent Chinese economist.
"The talks will continue but it's going to be a lot more tense with higher stakes," Ye told news agency AFP.
(Source:www.ndtv.com)
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