A previous article explained that the Trump regime will formally request Canada to extradite Huawei’s chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou to the US.
Arrested by Canadian authorities in Vancouver on December 1, Ottawa acting as a US proxy, she’s currently under house arrest in the city, awaiting the judicial disposition of her case.
Washington’s pretext for wanting her extradited is Huawei’s alleged circumvention of (illegally imposed) US sanctions on Iran – for political reasons, part of longstanding US hostility toward the country over its sovereign independence in a part of the world where Washington and Israel have hegemonic aims.
What’s really behind what’s going on is the diabolical aim by Republicans and undemocratic Dems to undermine China’s aim to become an economic, industrial, and technological powerhouse, well along toward achieving its objectives, challenging longstanding US supremacy, what its hardliners are going all-out to prevent, risking something far more serious than major political, economic, financial, and trade differences.
On Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Huawei chairman Liang Hua urged resolving the unacceptable detention of Meng as quickly as possible – despite the Trump regime intending to formally request her extradition to the US by end of January or sooner.
Liang stressed that Huawei “operate(s) globally, and in every country…fully compl(ing) with local laws and regulations.
Separately on Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying warned of retaliation against Canada and the US if Meng is extradited to America, saying:
“China will take action in response to measures taken by the US. Everyone has to be held responsible for their own actions. Both the US and Canada should be aware of the seriousness of the case and take steps to rectify the mistake.”
Meng can appeal a judicially ordered extradition to America, a final decision to be made by Canada’s Minister of Justice/Attorney General David Lametti if judicial proceedings go this far.
Given Meng’s highly politicized arrest, detention, then house arrest, unable to leave Vancouver while a case against her proceeds, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may serve as final arbiter – unless Trump intervenes at some point on Meng’s behalf. His unpredictability makes anything possible.
Under the terms of the US/Canada extradition treaty, alleged offenses in question must be crimes in both countries, referred to as “double criminality.”
Proceedings and appeals in cases like Meng’s can drag on for months or years. Her arrest and detention occurred on the same day that Trump and China’s Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, DLT likely unaware of what happened at the time.
On Tuesday, China’s Global Times (GT) headlined “Canada must not extradite Meng Wanzhou,” saying:
She “was arrested by the Canadian side without violating any Canadian law. Canada, being a henchman for the US and abiding by the so-called extradition treaty between the US and Canada, persecutes senior executives of Chinese companies regardless of international law and friendly ties with China.”
“How can Canada be detached from the case if Meng is extradited? “(I)f Meng is extradited to the US, Canada will face a severe backlash from China that puts bilateral ties in jeopardy” – the same true about Sino/US relations.
No nation should tolerate the unlawful arrest and mistreatment of any of its citizens by a foreign power. Meng’s high profile status makes what’s going on especially unacceptable for China.
Her mistreatment is all about “an assault on China’s high-tech enterprises under the guise of law,” said GT, Canada a willing US accomplice.
China clearly won’t tolerate what’s going on, Meng’s arrest an affront to its sovereignty, an act of political and economic war.
If Meng isn’t freed to resume her normal activities, Sino/US and Sino/Canadian relations will suffer a major body blow. Beijing will surely retaliate appropriately, its only option.
It showed it can be tough with the US before. Clearly its authorities will go all-out for Meng’s unconditional release. They’re highly unlikely to accept anything less.
*
Note to readers: please click the share buttons above. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.
Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
