Huawei Canada’s Vice-President Of Govt Relations Repeatedly Would Not Condemn Arbitrary Detention By China Of Michael And Michael.
Huawei Canada’s Vice-President Of Government Relations Repeatedly Would Not Condemn The Arbitrary Detention By China Of Michael Kovrig And Michael Spavor, despite specifically and repeatedly insisting the company’s CFO Meng Wanzhou has “done nothing wrong.” In an interview with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson, Huawei Canada’s Morgan Elliott made unclear and at times contradictory statements about the company’s activities, and dodged several requests for him to state clearly whether the company condemns the detention of the two Michaels.
He also did not offer any clarification when told his responses suggest the company views as morally equivalent the arbitrary detentions of the two Canadians, who have been held in Chinese prisons for more than two years, and the arrest of Meng under a longstanding extradition treaty with the U.S. She and her company face dozens of criminal charges in the U.S., but she remains out on bail and living in a Vancouver mansion while her attempt to avoid extradition works through the courts.
At the outset of the interview, Elliott was asked what kind of reception the company has received by the new Joe Biden administration south of the border, and responded by saying the company has seen a more “measured approach” so far, and then raising the issue of Meng. “I think we’re all frustrated with the lack of communications between the government, between governments on a number of issues,” he said. “The company has never done anything wrong. We’ve been transparent in all our interactions. Meng Wanzhou has done nothing wrong.“
“I’m going to stop you there because I think that’s interesting,” Stephenson said. “Your company’s position is — and as the Canadian version of Huawei — is that Meng Wanzhou has done nothing wrong. So you don’t think that the RCMP arrest of her was legitimate?” “The company has done nothing wrong, Meng Wanzhou has done nothing wrong,” Elliott said, adding that the previous U.S. administration used “companies and, unfortunately, people as political pawns.”
“Mr. Ren (Zhengfei, Meng’s father and Huawei’s CEO), like any father, wants his daughter home, just as the families of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor want their family,” Elliott said. “This is a political situation that requires a political discussion and political solution.” Canadian authorities arrested Meng in December 2018 at the behest of American law enforcement, who charged her and her company shortly afterwards with dozens of criminal charges related to allegations of skirting sanctions on Iran and stealing corporate secrets.
While former U.S. president Donald Trump did comment publicly on Meng’s arrest, suggesting he would intervene if he thought doing so would get China to cave to U.S. trade demands, prosecutors at the Department of Justice have laid out public and extensive details of the allegations against Meng. The allegations centre on specific dates, years, events, bank transactions and other details that prosecutors say ground the case against Meng and Huawei in evidence that meets the threshold to lay charges, as established in an independent justice system.
This news was originally published at Global News.