Huawei CFO Faces Canadian Court As US-China Row Escalates

Lawyers representing detained Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou are to appear in a Canadian court on Monday ahead of hearings over Meng’s extradition to the United States.

Meng’s attorneys argue the extradition should be halted if Canadian officials abused the process of arresting her, and on Monday are to press for more details of how the arrest took place.

They say Meng was illegally detailed, searched and questioned for more than three hours after landing in Vancouver on a flight from Hong Kong.

Canadian officials improperly detained Meng, pretending they were carrying out an immigration check, in order to gather evidence for US authorities, the defence claims.

Arrest dispute

They also argue the US is using Meng’s case for economic and political gain, citing US President Donald Trump’s comments that he could intervene in her case in order to help seal a trade agreement with China.

At the 10 a.m. (1700 GMT) hearing before Justice Heather Holmes of the British Columbia Supreme Court, defence lawyers are also to request disclosure of contacts between US and Canadian authorities in connection with Meng’s detention.

Meng, who is expected to appear before the court, was detained on 1 December at the request of the US, which charges her with offences related to Huawei’s alleged dealings with Iran in contravention of US sanctions.

The extradition hearing itself is scheduled for January.  Meng, Huawei and China deny any wrongdoing.

Trade war

Meng is the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei and a prominent public figure in China, and the case has added to tensions between the US and China, as well as straining relations between China and Canada.

Meng is currently living in one of her two multimillion-pound homes in Vancouver on bail, and is obliged to wear an ankle monitor and pay for security guards.

US and Chinese officials resumed trade talks last week in ongoing efforts to resolve a 14-month conflict over trade in which Huawei and its smartphone and 5G technologies have come to play a key role.