WEB DESK
China today summoned the US ambassador to protest the what it called “extremely bad” arrest of telecom giant Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada and demand that the United States drop its extradition request.
“The Chinese side firmly opposes this and strongly urges the United States to attach great importance to China’s solemn and just position,” the foreign ministry said in a statement after Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng called in ambassador Terry Branstad.
Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 on the orders of US authorities for allegedly violating American sanctions on selling technology to Iran.
What the United States has done severely violates Chinese citizen’s legitimate rights and interests, and is vile in nature, said Le in a statement.
China firmly opposes the United States’ moves and strongly urges the U.S. side to attach great importance to China’s solemn stance, take immediate measures to correct the wrong practices, and withdraw the arrest warrant against the Chinese citizen, he said.
The minister said US actions have violated the “legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and are extremely bad in nature,” according to a posting on the ministry website. “China will take further action based on the U.S. actions.”
The move comes a day after Canada’s ambassador to China was also summoned to the ministry. Meng’s arrest, on allegations that she committed fraud to sidestep sanctions against Iran, has become a flash-point in trade tensions between the US and China that’s rattled investors and sent stock markets tumbling.