China Accuses U.S., Canada of Harming 'Human Rights' of Arrested Huawei CFO.

Chinese businessperson Meng Wanzhou has been detained by Canadian authorities and faces extradition to the United States in a move slammed by Beijing as harming her “human rights.” Meng, who was taken into custody on December 1, is the chief financial officer of Chinese electronics and telecommunications multinational Huawei. 

The company is the world's second-largest telecommunications equipment and services providers, after South Korea’s Samsung and recently surpassing Apple. Washington has previously raised concerns about the Chinese company due to its links to Beijing’s government. 

“At the request of the U.S. side, the Canadian side arrested a Chinese citizen not violating any American or Canadian law,” the Chinese Embassy in Canada said in an official statement on Thursday.

“The Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly protests over such kind of actions which seriously harmed the human rights of the victim,” it continued, saying Beijing had “lodged stern representations with the U.S. and Canadian side, and urged them to immediately correct the wrongdoing and restore the personal freedom of Ms. Meng Wanzhou.”

The arrest of the Huawei executive is a BIG deal in China and is probably being underplayed in the US news cycle. Equivalent of an Apple or Facebook exec being arrested in China. https://t.co/Aoh1szWUNx

— Marty Kady (@mkady) December 6, 2018

Huawei released a statement as well, saying it had “been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing,” according to Al Jazeera. Canada’s justice ministry has released few details, citing a publication ban called for by Meng. “She is sought for extradition by the United States, and a bail hearing has been set for Friday,” it said. 

Analysts have speculated that the businessperson’s arrest is linked to alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran. Earlier this year, it was reported that Huawei continued to sell network equipment to the Middle Eastern nation in spite of Washington’s punitive measures. 

The South China Morning Post has also reported that Meng specifically told her company’s employees that they can weigh the risks of not complying with laws in some scenarios. 

The CFO reportedly held an internal question and answer session on October 29 alongside her father, Ren Zhengfei, who founded Huawei. 

There are situations “where the external rules are clear-cut and there’s no contention, but the company is totally unable to comply within actual operations,” Meng reportedly said.

“In such cases, after a reasonable decision-making process, one may accept the risk of temporary non-compliance,” she added. Washington has previously moved to constrain Huawei’s business in the U.S. 

The government has cited concerns over its close ties to the Chinese government, arguing this makes it a security risk to the U.S. Fears have been raised that the company’s mobile phones and networking equipment could create powerful espionage tools for Beijing. 

In August, President Donald Trump signed legislation that largely banned the use of Huawei devices by government agencies and defense contractors Experts have suggested that Meng’s detention could have negative repercussions for the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing. 

Over the weekend, Trump met directly with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreeing to work toward resolving tensions.