Trade War: China summons US ambassador over Huawei arrest

Meng who was arrested in Vancouver while changing planes on December 1 faces US fraud charges related to alleged sanctions-breaking dealings with Iran.

China, on Sunday, summoned the US ambassador to protest the arrest of a top executive from telecom giant, Huawei in Canada, as Washington’s top trade negotiator rejected suggestions that the case could affect talks aimed at settling a trade war, Daily Mail reports.

The arrest of Huawei’s Chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou has infuriated Beijing, which demanded Washington drop its extradition request, and stoked tensions during the trade war truce between China and the United States.

Meng who was arrested in Vancouver while changing planes on December 1 (the same day that US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to a truce in their trade battle and gave negotiators three months to find a compromise) faces US fraud charges related to alleged sanctions-breaking dealings with Iran.

But with negotiations underway against a “hard deadline” of March 1 to settle the tariff dispute between the world’s two biggest economies, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he did not expect the arrest to disrupt the talks.

Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, is in custody awaiting a Canadian court’s decision on bail on Monday.

Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng summoned US ambassador Terry Branstad one day after he called in Canadian envoy John McCallum to voice China’s displeasure.

“Le Yucheng pointed out that the US side has seriously violated the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, and the nature of the violation is extremely bad,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The Chinese side firmly opposes this and strongly urges the United States to attach great importance to China’s solemn and just position,” it said.

China also urged the United States to “take immediate measures to correct wrong practices, and revoke the arrest warrant against the Chinese citizen.”

The statement warned that Beijing would make an unspecified “further response” in light of the US actions.