China on Saturday summoned the Canadian ambassador to protest the detention of Huawei Technologies Co (華為) chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟), calling it “unreasonable, unconscionable and vile in nature,” and warning of “grave consequences” if she is not released.
A report by the official Xinhua news agency carried on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Web site said that Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Yucheng (樂玉成) called in Canadian Ambassador John McCallum over the holding of Meng, who is suspected of trying to evade US sanctions on Iran.
Le told McCallum that Meng’s detention at the request of the US while transferring flights in Vancouver was a “severe violation” of her “legitimate rights and interests.”
Photo: Reuters
“Such a move ignores the law and is unreasonable, unconscionable and vile in nature,” Le said in the statement.
“China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately release the detained Huawei executive ... or face grave consequences that the Canadian side should be held accountable for,” Le said.
Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said that Chinese pressure on the Canadian government will not work.
“Perhaps because the Chinese state controls its judicial system, Beijing sometimes has difficulty understanding or believing that courts can be independent in a rule-of-law country. There’s no point in pressuring the Canadian government. Judges will decide,” Paris tweeted in response to the comments from Beijing.
Canadian officials have declined to comment on Chinese threats of retaliation over the case, instead emphasizing the independence of Canada’s judiciary along with the importance of Ottawa’s relationship with Beijing.
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland said that Canada “has assured China that due process is absolutely being followed in Canada, that consular access for China to Ms Meng will absolutely be provided.”
“We are a rule of law country and we will be following our laws as we have thus far in this matter and as we will continue to do,” Freeland said on Friday.
Huawei is the biggest global supplier of network gear for telephone and Internet companies, and has been the target of deepening US security concerns over its ties to the Chinese government.
The US has pressured European countries and other allies to limit use of its technology, warning that they could be opening themselves up to surveillance and theft of information.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source