Chinese envoy speaks to Meng Wanzhou by phone, sends message for Canada to rectify ‘serious mistake’

‘Any action to bully or oppress the Chinese people will be met with a painful strike,’ Cong Peiwu tells detained Huawei executive
Cong made the call on the eve of the 1000-day anniversary of Meng’s arrest, offering her his deep sympathy and condolences

Huawei

Harvey Kong

Published: 9:00pm, 26 Aug 2021

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China’s ambassador to Canada has urged the country to rectify its “serious mistake” in the handling of the US extradition request for Huawei senior executive Meng Wanzhou during a phone conversation with Meng on Wednesday.

The phone call came weeks ahead of an expected ruling on the Huawei chief financial officer’s extradition to the US.

China's Ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP

During the call, ambassador Cong Peiwu accused Canadian authorities of taking “wrong actions”, according to a statement by the embassy on Wednesday. He emphasised to Meng that China would defend the legal rights of its citizens and enterprises.

“Any action to bully or oppress the Chinese people will be met with a painful strike,” Cong said during the exchange.

Cong made the call on the eve of the 1,000-day anniversary of Meng’s arrest, offering the Huawei executive his deep sympathy and condolences.

He added that the Canadian government should face its “serious mistake” and make the “correct decision” to release Meng as soon as possible.

Trump wanted ‘ransom’ for Meng Wanzhou, her lawyer says

This comes one week after the conclusion of Meng’s marathon extradition hearing. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes adjourned the hearing by saying she would hold a case management conference by phone on October 21, at which time she would announce a date for rendering her ruling.

The extradition saga began after Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018. She was wanted by the US for allegedly defrauding HSBC by lying about Huawei’s dealings in Iran, putting the bank at risk of breaching US sanctions.

The case has led to frosty relations between Ottawa and Beijing, cooled further by China’s arrest of two Canadians days after Meng’s arrest — Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. Canada considers their arrests arbitrary detention and a form of retaliation.

Earlier this month, a Chinese court convicted Spavor for espionage and sentenced him to 11 years in jail. A verdict has not been announced in Kovrig’s case.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Beijing envoy urges Canada to rectify ‘serious mistake’