China Warns U.S. Over Arrest Warrant for Huawei Official
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China’s foreign ministry called in the U.S. ambassador on Sunday to lodge a "strong protest” over the arrest in Canada of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s chief financial officer, and said the United States should withdraw its arrest warrant.
Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s global chief financial officer, was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1 and faces extradition to the United States, which alleges that she covered up her company’s links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to Iran despite sanctions.
The executive is also the daughter of the founder of Huawei.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng told U.S. ambassador Terry Branstad that the United States had made an "unreasonable demand” on Canada to detain Meng while she was passing through Vancouver, China’s Foreign Ministry said.
"The actions of the U.S. seriously violated the lawful and legitimate rights of the Chinese citizen, and by their nature were extremely nasty,” Le told Branstad, comments similar to those he made to Canada’s ambassador the night before.
China strongly urges the United States to pay attention to China’s solemn and just position and withdraw the arrest warrant on Meng, Le added.
"China will respond further depending on U.S. actions,” he said, without elaborating.
Le also told the Canadian ambassador on Saturday that there would be severe consequences if it did not immediately release Meng.
In a short statement, China’s Foreign Ministry said that Vice Foreign Minister Le had issued the warning to release Meng to Canada’s ambassador in Beijing, summoning him to lodge a "strong protest”.
"China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately release the detained person, and earnestly protect their lawful, legitimate rights, otherwise Canada must accept full responsibility for the serious consequences caused,” Le said.
"There will probably be a deep freeze with the Chinese in high-level visits and exchanges,” David Mulroney, former Canadian ambassador to China, said on Friday.
On Sunday, the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said that while China would not "cause trouble”, it also did not fear trouble and that nobody should underestimate China’s determination on this case.
"Only if the Canadian side corrects its mistake and immediately stops infringing upon the lawful, legitimate rights of a Chinese citizen and gives a proper accounting to the Chinese people can it avoid paying a heavy price for this,” it said in an editorial.
Meng’s arrest was on the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump met in Argentina with China’s Xi Jinping to look for ways to resolve an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s global chief financial officer, was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1 and faces extradition to the United States, which alleges that she covered up her company’s links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to Iran despite sanctions.
The executive is also the daughter of the founder of Huawei.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng told U.S. ambassador Terry Branstad that the United States had made an "unreasonable demand” on Canada to detain Meng while she was passing through Vancouver, China’s Foreign Ministry said.
"The actions of the U.S. seriously violated the lawful and legitimate rights of the Chinese citizen, and by their nature were extremely nasty,” Le told Branstad, comments similar to those he made to Canada’s ambassador the night before.
China strongly urges the United States to pay attention to China’s solemn and just position and withdraw the arrest warrant on Meng, Le added.
"China will respond further depending on U.S. actions,” he said, without elaborating.
Le also told the Canadian ambassador on Saturday that there would be severe consequences if it did not immediately release Meng.
In a short statement, China’s Foreign Ministry said that Vice Foreign Minister Le had issued the warning to release Meng to Canada’s ambassador in Beijing, summoning him to lodge a "strong protest”.
"China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately release the detained person, and earnestly protect their lawful, legitimate rights, otherwise Canada must accept full responsibility for the serious consequences caused,” Le said.
"There will probably be a deep freeze with the Chinese in high-level visits and exchanges,” David Mulroney, former Canadian ambassador to China, said on Friday.
On Sunday, the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said that while China would not "cause trouble”, it also did not fear trouble and that nobody should underestimate China’s determination on this case.
"Only if the Canadian side corrects its mistake and immediately stops infringing upon the lawful, legitimate rights of a Chinese citizen and gives a proper accounting to the Chinese people can it avoid paying a heavy price for this,” it said in an editorial.
Meng’s arrest was on the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump met in Argentina with China’s Xi Jinping to look for ways to resolve an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies.