US to pursue extradition for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou

The United States is expected to proceed with formal extradition proceedings for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was recently detained in Canada under accusations of violating US sanctions on Iran.

David McNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the US, told the Canadian Globe and Mail newspaper that the US has indicated it will file for extradition before the 30 January deadline, in a move that will serve to ratchet-up tensions between the US and China.

A statement from the Chinese tech giant said: “Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate, including export control and sanction laws of the UN, US, and EU. We have every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach a just conclusion.”

The incident takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing trade war between the Washington and Beijing and President Donald Trump last month indicated a willingness to intervene in the legal saga if it would help his pursuit of a trade deal with China.

As the trade war rumbles on, China’s domestic economy has shown signs of weakness, with last year’s growth the lowest in almost three decades and foreign investment in the US from Chinese companies having plummeted by 83% in 2018, according to consultants Baker McKenzie.

Meanwhile, relations between Canada and China have already turned frosty following the arrest of Meng, who is also the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, with China detaining two Canadian citizens and sentencing a Canadian previously found guilty of drug smuggling to death.

Huawei’s chairman, Liang Hua, on Tuesday told media at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he hoped for a quick resolution but indicated that the company might refocus on nations “where we are welcomed”.

Liang appeared to be responding to accusations the company has faced in recent months that it produces technology that allows Beijing to spy on other nations, prompting the US, Australia and New Zealand to ban it from supplying 5G equipment in their countries.

Canada is reviewing its relationship with the company and its technology, while the UK, France, Germany and a number of other nations have also raised concerns or restrictions.

Huawei has denied all accusations that it is involved in espionage.