US officials have confirmed their intention to formally extradite Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou from Canada to face criminal charges, according to reports.
Meng, who is also the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 last year at the request of Washington.
A statement from the Department of Justice confirmed that the US plans to meet the 60-day deadline for filing a formal extradition demand, which runs to January 30.
“We will continue to pursue the extradition of defendant Ms. Meng Wanzhou, and will meet all deadlines set by the US/Canada Extradition Treaty,” said DoJ spokesman Marc Raimondi, in the reported statement. “We greatly appreciate Canada’s continuing support of our mutual efforts to enforce the rule of law.”
The news will likely inflame Sino-Canadian diplomatic relations as Beijing continues to lambast Ottowa for what it sees as a geopolitical decision, while Justin Trudeau’s government stands firm on the rule of law.
Beijing has apparently retaliated by arresting two Canadians on suspicion of spying.
It is alleged that Meng participated in a conspiracy at the telecoms equipment giant to trick US banks into breaking sanctions on Iran. This was apparently done by pretending that subsidiary Skycom was not connected to the Shenzhen firm.
Although Huawei has repeatedly claimed it does not represent a national security risk, governments around the world are getting cold feet, following America’s lead in sidelining its role or banning outright its technology in upcoming 5G networks.
The UK is one of the few Five Eyes countries which has taken a fairly liberal stance with the Chinese firm, although an official change in its policy could be on the cards.
Back in November the government reminded 5G network providers to ensure their suppliers are heavily vetted for security.
In a rare appearance, MI6 boss Alex Younger said in December: “We need to decide the extent to which we are going to be comfortable with Chinese ownership of these technologies and these platforms in an environment where some of our allies have taken a quite definite position.”