THE extradition hearing of Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou began in Vancouver on Monday morning in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada. Meng was arrested Dec. 1, 2018, at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the United States, which is seeking her extradition on fraud charges. Both Meng and Huawei have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Half an hour before the start of the hearing, Huawei made a statement in Vancouver that it trusts in Canada’s judicial system. “We trust in Canada’s judicial system, which will prove Ms. Meng’s innocence. Huawei stands with Ms. Meng in her pursuit for justice and freedom. We hope Ms. Meng will be able to be together with her family, colleagues and friends as soon as possible,” said a Huawei spokesman. The Chinese side pointed out that what Canada and the United States did in Meng’s case counts as arbitrary detention and a serious violation of the legitimate rights and interests of a Chinese citizen. Washington accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. Meng denies the allegations. Her defense team says comments by U.S. President Donald Trump suggest the case against her is politically motivated. (Xinhua) |