The US is a “troublemaker” in China-Canada relations, says Chinese envoy to Canada

OTTAWA (Reuters) – The United States is using the case of a senior Chinese telecommunications executive arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant 18 months ago to stoke tensions between China and Canada, China’s envoy to Canada said on Thursday.

“The US has taken advantage of Canada, and the US is the troublemaker in China-Canada relations,” Chinese envoy in Ottawa Cong Peiwu told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Huawei Technologies Co chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese citizen and daughter of Huawei billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested on bank fraud charges on an arrest warrant issued by US authorities. Meng says she is innocent.

Asked whether he thought the Canadian judiciary was independent, Cong pointed to comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2018 that showed the Meng case was “more of a political incident than a simple court case.”

In that interview (here), Trump said he would intervene in the Meng case with the US Justice Department if it would help secure a trade deal with Beijing.

“We believe that this is actually a serious political incident planned by the United States to bring down Chinese high-tech companies,” the ambassador said.

Cong did not say whether China would retaliate for a Canadian court’s decision last month that would extend Meng’s legal battle to avoid extradition.

Shortly after Meng’s arrest, Beijing detained two Canadians on national security charges and halted imports of rapeseed.

Asked about the Meng case, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed that the country’s judiciary is independent, while calling for the release of two Canadians, businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig.

The Chinese envoy said the two detained Canadians are “in good health” but consular visits are still suspended due to coronavirus restrictions and “will resume when the situation improves.”

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