Media statement - US arrest of Huawei CFO shown to be blatantly political by newspaper investigation

(Brussels, 2 Dec 2019) – The Canadian Globe & Mail newspaper has reported on the lack of time and information Canada was given before it was urged to arrest Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver Airport on 1 December 2018.

A US operation, which tracked Ms Meng until she boarded the flight in Hong Kong, appears to have been organised at the top level of the US government, directed by John Bolton, the White House National Security Adviser at the time, the Globe & Mail reports.

US intelligence and justice departments worked closely together in coordinating her arrest and, contrary to earlier claims that Canada knew about Ms Meng’s travel plans several days in advance, Canadian border security agents were only asked the day before to perform the arrest and then to extradite Ms Meng, says the newspaper.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau found out about it on the day of the arrest and was “caught off guard” by the news, the Globe & Mail says. There was no discussion between Canadian and US officials before the extradition request was made, the newspaper quotes Canada’s former Washington ambassador, David McNaughton, as saying.

The newspaper reports that Ms Meng visited six countries – including Britain, Japan and Belgium, which have extradition agreements with the US – in the three months before her arrest in Vancouver. But the US government waited until Ms Meng reached Canada, believing the Canadian justice department would be more likely to agree to her extradition.

Huawei believes that the Canadian justice system will prove to be impartial and scrupulously fair in this matter and will eventually conclude that Ms Meng should be released.

In Europe, Huawei has a trusted relationship with the European institutions and all national governments, and is committed to being an essential partner for Europe in order to help it achieve its digital sovereignty, making Europe “fit for the Digital Age” in line with the European Commission’s priority.

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Read The Globe & Mail investigation on Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s arrest here