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China slams ‘inhumane’ treatment of Huawei CFO

This article is more than 12 months old

Chinese newspaper Global Times reported that "it seems the Canadian detention facility is not offering her the necessary healthcare"

BEIJING: China yesterday ratcheted up its protest over the arrest of an executive of telecom giant Huawei on a US warrant in Canada, calling reports of her treatment "inhumane" as she seeks her release on bail for health reasons.

China's latest tirade over the case came as Huawei chief financial officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the company's founder, faces a Canadian court's decision on bail in Vancouver.

Ms Meng's arrest on Dec 1 has infuriated Beijing, rocking stock markets and raising tensions amid a truce in the US-China trade war.

China summoned the US and Canadian ambassadors at the weekend, demanding that the US withdraw its arrest warrant and warning Canada that it faces "grave consequences".

Ms Meng, 46, faces US fraud charges related to alleged dealings with Iran.

In a 55-page affidavit, Ms Meng said she has suffered from severe hypertension for years and has been treated in a Canadian hospital since her arrest.

She also said that she has had "numerous health problems", including surgery for thyroid cancer in 2011.

"I wish to remain in Vancouver to contest my extradition, and I will contest the allegations at trial in the US if I am ultimately surrendered," she said.

China's state-run Global Times newspaper reported, without citing sources, that "it seems that the Canadian detention facility is not offering her the necessary healthcare".

"We believe this is inhumane and violates her human rights," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular press briefing, citing such reports.

Mr Lu also said the Canadian government did not immediately notify the Chinese embassy or consulate about Ms Meng's arrest, as it should have under a consular agreement.

In a bail hearing on Friday, Canadian Crown prosecutor John Gibb-Carsley asked for bail to be denied, saying Ms Meng has been accused of "conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions".

If convicted, she faces more than 30 years in prison. The extradition process could take months, even years, if appeals are made in the case.

Ms Meng said she has ties to Vancouver that go back 15 years. She and her husband own several properties in the city, and she even had a Canadian permanent residency permit that she has since renounced.

Analysts say her arrest could be used as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations between the US and China.

Ms Meng was arrested on the same day that Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day trade war truce.

While the White House denies any connection between the trade talks and the arrest, US concerns about security linked to the ambitions of Chinese high-tech companies and the alleged theft of intellectual property are at the heart of the trade dispute.

Huawei has denied any ties to the Chinese government, but many in Washington and other Western capitals have raised security concerns. - AFP

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