Arrest of Chinese Official on Trumped Up Charges
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
Sabrina Meng Wanzhou is chief financial officer for Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies. On December 1, she was arrested and detained in Vancouver, Canada for extradition to the US - a shameful action.
The Trump regime accused her of violating illegal sanctions imposed on Iran. They have no international validity. No countries, businesses, or their officials should observe them.
The action against Meng is politically and economically motivated. Canada operates as a virtual US colony, allying with Washington’s hostile agenda.
On Thursday, Beijing protested against what happened, demanding to know why Meng was arrested and detained - no explanation so far forthcoming from Trump or Trudeau officials.
A scathing Global Times (GT) editorial blasted the Trump regime, saying “(o)bviously Washington is resorting to a despicable rogue’s approach as it cannot stop Huawei's 5G advance in the market.”
Huawei denied any wrongdoing by its official. China’s embassy in Ottawa firmly denounced what it called “a gross violation of (Meng’s) human rights.”
The action may further complicate bilateral Sino/US relations, already hugely strained, GT saying “the US move obviously goes against the consensus reached between the heads of state of China and the US in Argentina.”
“The incident shows that China faces a complicated competition with the US.” Meng’s arrest targets Huawei.
The Trump regime “is maliciously finding fault with Huawei and trying to put the company in jeopardy with US laws,” said GT.
“Washington is attempting to damage Huawei’s international reputation and taking aim at the tech giant’s global market” it wants compromised.
Beijing indicated it’ll respond accordingly to protect the interests of its public and privately run enterprises.
GT called on Trump to “rein in…hostile US actions (that) may imperil Sino-US relations.”
A Huawei spokesman said “(t)he company has been provided with very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms Meng,” adding:
“The company believes the Canadian and US legal systems will ultimately reach a just conclusion.” Her bail hearing is set for Friday.
Huawei is the world’s largest manufacturer of cellular-tower electronics, the third-biggest smartphone producer. The Trump regime alleges company technology is used for government spying - no evidence presented backing the claim.
Hostile action against Meng was on the same day Xi Jinping and Trump met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Her arrest and detention complicate what both leaders discussed - bilateral relations already greatly strained by US aims to marginalize, weaken, contain, and isolate China.
Washington wants its “Made in China 2025” strategy to become an economic, industrial, and technological powerhouse undermined.
US aims make reconciling major differences between both countries virtually unattainable. Unacceptable incidents like Meng’s arrest and detention greatly complicates things further.
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