By Stephen Lendman
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Arresting and detaining Huawei Technologies’ chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou on December 1 by Canadian authorities was flagrantly illegal and offensive.
Done on orders from the Trump regime, it was all about the US wanting China’s aim to become an economic, industrial, and technological powerhouse undermined.
Privately owned Huawei is a technological leader, the world’s largest telecom equipment manufacturer, the second largest smartphone maker, a top-100 Fortune global company – one of China’s most important enterprises, why it’s targeted by Washington.
Meng’s arrest breached the 90 day Sino/US truce Trump and China’s Xi Jinping agreed on at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina – both occurring on the same day.
It’s more proof that the US can never be trusted. It consistently and repeatedly breaches international law, its own Constitution and statute laws, as well as Security Council resolutions, treaties, conventions and bilateral agreements.
Meng faces extradition to the US on unacceptable allegations of “conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions” by covertly using a subsidiary to sell company products to Iran – Hauwei’s legal right, as well as all other companies worldwide.
Unilaterally imposed US sanctions on Iran and other countries are flagrantly illegal. No nations or enterprises should observe them.
In detention, Meng has been abused, subjected to rude and degrading treatment, according to Beijing – handcuffed when arrested, forced to wear ankle braces at her first bail hearing, denied proper medical treatment. She requires daily medication for high blood pressure.
On Tuesday, a Canadian judge granted her bail on condition she surrender her passports, subject herself to round-the-clock supervision and pay the cost, post a $7.5 million bond ($10 million in Canadian dollars), be electronically monitored at her Vancouver residence, and be accompanied by Canadian security personnel whenever outside it for any reason.
She’s prohibited from going anywhere near Vancouver’s airport. Her release from detention to virtual house arrest under unacceptable conditions wasn’t good enough.
She should be unconditionally released – followed by Canadian and US apologies for her gross mistreatment, an affront to her, Huawei, and Beijing authorities.
Shortly after her conditional release, Trump told Reuters the following:
“If I think it’s good for the country, if I think it’s good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made – which is a very important thing – what’s good for national security – I would certainly intervene (for Meng) if I thought it was necessary.”
He could have intervened straightaway to reverse the affront and should now unconditionally.
Meng’s release on bail followed three lengthy judicial hearings. She was ordered to return to court on February 6 for her extradition to America hearing.
Huawei issued a statement on Tuesday, saying “(w)e have every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach a just conclusion in the following proceedings,” adding:
“As we have stressed all along, Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate, including export control and sanction laws of the UN, US, and EU. We look forward to a timely resolution to this matter.”
According to extradition lawyer Gary Botting, Meng “should never have been arrested in the first place. This is the United States trying to flex its muscles and take attention away from other things.”
It’s mainly about challenging a technologically advanced Chinese enterprise and Beijing’s ambitions, as explained above.
Following her Tuesday hearing and release on bail, Meng said “I am innocent of the allegations against me.”
She endured 10 grueling days of gross mistreatment. Her ordeal continues until unacceptable charges against her are resolved.
The Trump regime has until January 8 to file a formal extradition request to Canadian authorities.
If tried and convicted in US court proceedings, she faces up to 30 years imprisonment for involvement in Huawei’s legitimate business operations.
The Trump regime wants them undermined, part of his America first agenda at the expense of foreign enterprises – as well as against nations the US wants co-opted as vassal states.
There’s virtually always a political motive behind unacceptable actions like what happened to Meng – along with illegal US sanctions on government and private officials in nations Washington targets for regime change.
These and similar actions are what imperialism is all about.
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