A Chinese government spokesman yesterday took issue with US claims that telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co (華為) poses a threat to other countries’ information security because of Chinese laws.
The comments by China’s National People’s Congress spokesman Zhang Yesui (張業遂), ahead of the annual session of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, followed news that Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟), who was arrested by Canada at the request of the US, is suing the Canadian government over her treatment.
Lawyers for Meng, who is staying at a property she owns in Vancouver after her release on bail, on Sunday said that she was suing the Canadian government, its border agency and the national police force, alleging she was detained, searched and interrogated before she was told that she was under arrest.
Photo: AP
The US is seeking Meng’s extradition to face charges she misled banks about the company’s business with Iran.
Washington has been lobbying its allies to shun Huawei’s products on national security grounds, saying Chinese law requires the company to provide it with intelligence on its foreign clients whenever requested.
Zhang said that US officials were taking China’s national security law out of context and “playing up the so-called security risks” associated with Chinese companies.
The 2017 law borrows from other countries’ experiences and is designed explicitly to “protect human rights and the lawful rights of individuals and organizations,” Zhang said.
“This kind of behavior is interference into economic activities by political means and is against World Trade Organization rules. It disrupts an international market order that is built on fair competition,” Zhang told reporters.
“This is a typical case of double standards that is neither fair nor ethical,” he added.
Washington’s accusations have been underscored by Meng’s arrest on Dec. 1.
Huawei also faces other allegations in the US related to alleged theft of technology.
Meng is due in court tomorrow to set a date for the extradition proceedings to start. It could be several months or even years before her case is resolved.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang (陸慷) yesterday also accused Canada and the US of abusing their bilateral extradition treaty.
He reiterated China’s demand that the US withdraw its accusations against Meng.
China urges Canada to “immediately release Ms Meng Wanzhou and let her return to China in safety while ensuring her legitimate and justifiable rights and interests and not repeat [Canada’s] mistakes,” Lu said at a daily news briefing.
In related news, state media reported that China suspects detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig of spying and stealing state secrets.
Another Canadian in detention — businessman Michael Spavor — was one of Kovrig’s main sources of intelligence, Xinhua news agency said, citing Chinese authorities.
The pair were detained in December just days after Canada arrested Meng.
Chinese authorities had previously said that the two men were under investigation on suspicion of endangering national security.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
RSS