China: Washington Should End Unreasonable Suppression of Huawei

On Tuesday, the Chinese government urged Washington to cease its "unreasonable suppression" of Huawei and to withdraw its request to Canada for the extradition of Huawei's CFO. On Monday, the U.S. accused the Chinese company Huawei of using a "front" company named Skycom in Hong Kong to conduct business with Iran. U.S. officials claim that Huawei has violated sanctions against Iran and that Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's CFO, has "lied" to banks about Skycom's relationship with Iran. Other allegations from U.S. prosecutors against Huawei include "theft" of a piece of technology from a T-Mobile lab. For nearly a decade, the U.S. has accused Huawei of being a "front" for "Chinese espionage" and security risks, an accusation that Huawei denies. In connection with these allegations, Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, Canada, on December 1, and her extradition hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called on the U.S. on Tuesday to "immediately" revoke the arrest warrant for Meng Wanzhou and to "refrain from such extradition requests." According to the Associated Press, Geng complained that Washington has "mobilized its state power" to harm Chinese companies and intends to "suppress lawful activities for political purposes." Geng also stated that Beijing will defend the "legal rights and interests of Chinese companies," but did not provide further details. Following Meng Wanzhou's arrest, relations between Canada and China have soured. China has detained two Canadian citizens and sentenced another Canadian man, previously convicted of drug trafficking, to death. The Chinese government has not linked any of these actions to Meng Wanzhou's arrest but has warned of severe retaliatory measures if she is not released. The new U.S. administration has accused China from the outset of "stealing technology and trade secrets." In addition to pressuring the Chinese government to reduce the trade deficit, the U.S. accuses China of employing unfair trade practices and pressuring American investors to transfer their technologies to Chinese companies. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Defense, published on January 14, warns that China has been able to obtain the fruits of research from the U.S. and other countries to advance new technologies in various markets through "intellectual property violations and technology theft," keeping its military costs low. On the same day the report was published, a senior intelligence official from the Department of Defense, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that China's military buildup raises concerns that Chinese officials may have plans to forcibly annex Taiwan. Sources: Associated Press and Radio Free Europe.