China Summons US Envoy To Protest The Arrest Of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, Threatens Retaliatory Action

China’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday (9 December) summoned US Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad and lodged a strong protest against the detention of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, Xinhua reported. She has been detained by the Canadian authorities at the behest of the United States.

The stern warning from China comes as no surprise as it regards Huawei as the crowning jewel of its tech industry.

Wanzhou, also the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was detained last weekend at Vancouver airport on a US extradition request. The US is seeking to extradite her in relation to Huawei’s alleged use of an unofficial subsidiary, Skycom, to contravene the sanctions on Iran. Wanzhou faces multiple charges, each of which carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison.

“The actions of the US have seriously violated the legitimate and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and are extremely bad in nature,” China’s Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng told state news agency Xinhua.

“The Chinese side resolutely opposes this and strongly urges the US to attach great importance to China's solemn stance and immediately take measures to correct wrong practices and withdraw arrest warrants against Chinese citizens,” Xinhua quoted Le as saying.

“China will take further action based on the US actions,” Xinhua added.

Wanzhou made an appearance at the British Columbia Supreme Court, Vancouver for a bail hearing on fraud charges. The hearing ended without a decision and will continue today (10 December).

Canadian government’s lawyer, John Gibb-Carsley, informed the court on Friday (December 7) that the US is seeking Meng’s extradition on “fraud offences” involving US and EU sanctions against Iran. Between 2009 and 2014, Huawei was accused of using an unofficial subsidiary, Skycom, to conduct business in Iran.

Wanzhou’s arrest threatens to derail the negotiation for a long-term trade deal between Beijing and Washington after US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping declared a temporary truce at the G-20 Summit.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton hinted that Huawei was among the Chinese firms pilfering US technology.

"You should not turn a blind eye when states, as a matter of national policy, are stealing intellectual property from their competitors," Bolton told NPR's Morning Edition. "Huawei is one company we've been concerned about. There are others as well."

Huawei is believed to be closely aligned with the Chinese military and security services and working in tandem to assist their intelligence operations and influence critical missions of the Chinese state.