The U.S. Officially Seeks Extradition of Huawei CFO

The Canadian ambassador in Washington stated in an interview on Monday that the U.S. will pursue the extradition of Meng Wanzhou, the CFO and daughter of the founder of Huawei. This comes as Beijing has warned it will respond to this U.S. action. According to Reuters, David MacNaughton, the Canadian ambassador, said in an interview with the Canadian newspaper 'Globe and Mail' that Washington has informed the Canadian government that it will request Meng Wanzhou's extradition, but he does not know exactly when this request will be made. China has 'firmly' rejected the request for the release of Canadian citizens. The deadline for the extradition request is January 30, which is 60 days after Meng Wanzhou's arrest on December 1 in Vancouver. Meng was detained at the request of the U.S. on charges of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. She was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court in Vancouver on February 6. Following Meng'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's arrest but has warned of severe retaliatory measures if she is not released. Canadian and Western diplomats have no doubt that the detention of Canadian citizens in China is related to Meng's case. Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, declined to comment on the case when approached by Reuters. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated, 'We will take a position on the form of the argument and the complaint.' The Canadian Department of Justice had not commented on the matter by Tuesday afternoon. The Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated on Tuesday the need for Meng's immediate release, stating, 'It is clear that this is not an ordinary legal case.' A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry added, 'Anyone with a fair judgment can see that Canada has made a serious mistake in this matter. The governments of Canada and the U.S. have illegally abused their bilateral extradition treaty against the security and rights of a Chinese citizen.' He urged the U.S. government to correct its 'mistake,' cancel the arrest warrant for Meng Wanzhou, and not request her extradition. He stated that if Meng is extradited, 'China will certainly respond to the U.S. actions.' Canada is one of over a hundred countries that have extradition treaties with the U.S. After receiving a formal extradition request, Canadian judicial authorities must assess the request within 30 days, and the Canadian Minister of Justice must issue a formal extradition order. Some Western security experts believe that due to the risk of espionage, purchases of equipment from Huawei should be halted. Several of Canada's allies, including the U.S. and Australia, have imposed restrictions on the use of Huawei products for some time.