Just days after China upheld the death sentence for a Canadian national while sentencing another to a lengthy prison term, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry again complained that Canada is subjecting Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou (the daughter of the company’s billionaire founder) to “unreasonable detention” as Thursday marks her 1000th day in custody in British Columbia as she continues to wait for the results of her extradition hearing (the DoJ is demanding she be handed over to the US for prosecution related to alleged violations of international sanctions against Iran).
Meng has been under house arrest for most of this period, leaving her and her family to bear the costs of her incarceration.
According to RT, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin noted the unfortunate anniversary in remarks to reporters and reiterated Beijing’s demand that the US drop the case against Meng (something President Trump memorably suggesting could be used as a bargaining chip during contentious trade negotiations with China.
He also slammed Canada for doing the US’s dirty work, and asked that Canada stop being an accomplish to the political persecution of a Chinese citizen. Put another way, Wang slammed Canada for acting like the US’s b*tch. “Canada is nothing but a tool for the United States to exploit, suppress dissidents, and seek personal gain. There is no fairness and legitimacy,” he said.
He continued, asking rhetorically “does the Canadian side still have a view of right and wrong” now that Meng’s “unreasonable detention” has reached its 1000th, day?
The spokesman again claimed that the US’s primary motive for arresting Meng was to deliberately suppress Chinese companies and “retain American hegemony in the technology space.”
He continued by saying that Beijing will never give in to any forms of political coercion or abuse of justice, adding that the Chinese people are firm believers in upholding the rule of law and are not afraid of other countries.
Meng, who owns a swanky home in Vancouver, was detained in December 2018 after arriving at the Vancouver Airport while on her way to Mexico City. Last week, a two-and-a-half-year legal process leading up to the official extradition hearing came to an end, leaving Meng’s fate in the hands of a Canadian judge. .
Whether he will take China’s threats into account in his judgment remains to be seen, but most believe it’s likely Meng’s extradition will be approved, leaving her to be handed over to the US, where she very likely will be imprisoned without bail due to her status as a flight risk.
Of course, if she can somehow make it to a Chinese consulate, or embassy, she would be home free.
by Tyler Durden
