CN Insect Queen (Huawei exec) arrested by Canada - The China hive is swarming mad

This is actually pretty serious, with long term ramifications that the Trump administration has clearly thought through fully. By arresting the CFO and heiress of China premier tech company, the US Guaranteed to accelerate a trading split with the Chinese. US Executives would be well advised to not travel to China. A retaliatory arrest is almost certain.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/09/tech/huawei-cfo-china-summons-ambassador/index.html

Beijing (CNN)The Chinese Foreign Ministry is summoning the Canadian ambassador to China to address the detention of a Huawei executive in Vancouver, describing it as "lawless" and "extremely vicious."

The tech giant's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested December 1 and faces extradition to the United States, where she is accused of helping Huawei circumvent US sanctions on Iran.
In a statement Saturday, the vice minister of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Le Yucheng said the arrest "severely violated the Chinese citizen's legal and legitimate rights and interests, it is lawless, reasonless and ruthless, and it is extremely vicious."

The statement summons Canadian ambassador to China John McCallum to address Meng's detention.
China strongly urges Canada to "release the detainee immediately and earnestly protest the person's legal and legitimate rights and interests, otherwise it will definitely have serious consequences, and the Canadian side will have to bear the full responsibility for it," Yucheng said in the statement.
Arrest warrant issued in August

Meng is believed to have helped Huawei circumvent US sanctions on Iran by telling financial institutions that a Huawei subsidiary was a separate company, Canadian prosecutors said at a hearing Friday to determine whether Meng should be released on bail.
Her lawyer said that she has ties to Canada and is not a flight risk. The judge, after hearing arguments from Meng's lawyer and prosecutors, did not rule on bail. The hearing will resume Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

Previously, details surrounding why Meng, 46, had been detained were limited due to a press ban. A judge had accepted Meng's request to bar both police and prosecutors from releasing information about the case prior to the hearing. The ban was lifted on Friday.

A judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued a warrant for Meng's arrest on August 22, it was revealed at the hearing Friday. She was arrested on December 1.
Huawei 'not aware of any wrongdoing'

Earlier this week, Huawei said Meng was detained by Canadian authorities on behalf of the United States when she was transferring flights in Canada.

In a statement after Friday's hearing in Canada, Huawei said: "We will continue to follow the bail hearing on Monday. We have every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach the right conclusion."

The company has said it was "not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng" and that it "complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates."

In addition to her role as CFO, Meng serves as deputy chairwoman of Huawei's board. She is the daughter of Huawei's founder, Ren Zhengfei.

Meng's attorney said she would not breach a court order because doing so would embarrass her personally, and would also humiliate her father, Huawei and China itself. He added that the case against Meng had not been fully laid out, even though the US had signed off on her arrest warrant months ago.

"This isn't some last minute thing," he said.

Meng did everything she could to be transparent with Huawei's banking partners, and the company always worked to ensure its compliance with sanctions law, her lawyer continued.

Arrest came as US and China reached trade truce
Huawei is one of the world's biggest makers of smartphones and networking equipment and one of China's best-known companies. It is central to the country's ambitions to become a tech superpower.

But concerns that Huawei devices pose national security risks have hurt its ability to grow abroad.
The company has been repeatedly singled out by officials in the United States. US intelligence agencies have said American citizens shouldn't use Huawei phones, and US government agencies are banned from buying the company's equipment.

Huawei is a "bad actor," White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told CNN on Friday.
Navarro admitted that is was "unusual" that Meng's arrest came just as US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached a trade truce in Argentina, but said the government's actions are "legitimate."

"Let's look at what the indictment says and let the [Justice Department] do its thing," he said.
CNN's Yong Xiong reported from Beijing and Susannah Cullinane wrote from Auckland. CNN's Julia Horowitz contributed to this report.

 

[Ledian]

Local property? In China? You do realize not a single person in the People's Republic has deed to any piece of land since due to Chairman Mao ALL land is state property, and everyone in China leases their land from the a government for a maximum of 70 years making real estate effectively impossible to invest in in mainland China.

Shockingly, laws can change in China. And it did so in 2007.

Yeah, I just want her to be super into bug type Pokemon.

Fuck no, keep her away from me.

 

[76LD910]

So in the past day China has detained a former Canadian diplomat in whats an obvious retaliation against Canada who just released Wanzhou on $7 million dollars bail (and almost entirely in cash) on extremely strict provisions like not leaving Vancouver and being subject to monitoring by a security detail and wearing an electronic tracker.

Unfortunately Trump has finally jumped the gun and said something without thinking that might have real geopolitical consequences by suggesting he would intervene if He believed it was necessary to come to a trade agreement with China.

It's easily one of the most retarded and potentially damaging statements I've seen a politician make, particularly to himself considering how vocal He's been about the need for continuing sanctions on Iran, and these charges stem from violations when most of the developed world was in agreement regarding sanctions. He's thrown a grenade into a situation that was resolving entirely in a way that was beneficial to the US by indicating Her fate might be determined by political rather than legal considerations before she's even in US custody.

A vast section of the Canadian public (including the officials who were involved in Her arrest) are going to be pissed as this circulates. If it was up to me I'm not sure I could extradite her south under these circumstances, and if I feel that way you can be sure a lot of people in charge do as well.

Maybe I'm overreacting but shit was that dumb.

 

[JosephTX]

Shockingly, laws can change in China. And it did so in 2007.


Fuck no, keep her away from me.

Except the 2007 law didn't change shit and all property is still state owned with people only having transferable "land use rights" which have fixed expiration dates that can not be changed by any legal means, and currently nobody knows what happens when the leases expire because the first leases from 1986 don't start to expire until 2056.

That in mind in some cities in China only allowed 20 and 30 year leases which have already expired and the people who had them are generally fucked like in Qingdao where people are stuck with expired leases and the local government had no idea how to renew them as a renewal process isn't provided under PRC law, whereas in Wenzhou leaseholders were told they had to pay a 33% property tax to renew or lose their homes which caused such a shitstorm the State Ministry of Land stepped in and overruled it and simply stamped the expired land use right certificates with a notation providing a interim reprieve from losing their houses but otherwise the certificates are still expired making the property unsellable.

So my statement still stands, property is a worthless investment in China because everything has a permanently set non-extendable date when the property reverts to the state with the ability to renew theoretically existing on paper but in reality there's no functional renewal process.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/01/1...operty-regime-wenzhou-lease-renewal-problems/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/expiring-land-use-rights-what-can-we-expect-sean-linkletter

Currently there's a draft law that finally settles this glaring problem but it took 14 years of debate for the cental committee to put into law that it was possible to renew the leases.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201808/28/WS5b850399a310add14f388397.html

 

[byuu]

Arent all huawei phones filled with chinese spyware though?

I prefer that to American spyware.

 

[Jack Awful]

Canada should publicly execute her for communistic tendencies. Then China will see what "disrespecting human rights" looks like.

>Rich
>Communist
Pick one, you yellow bastards!

 

[Medicated]

It’s not a meme if they really are soulless drones.

They probably think the same of us.

 

[PS1gamenwatch]

So Trudeau fires the envoy to China over comments on the Huwei case:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47015700

Trudeau fires Canada's ambassador to China amid Huawei controversy
27 January 2019

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionJustin Trudeau (R) appointed John McCallum ambassador to China in 2017
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has fired Canada's ambassador to China, John McCallum.

It follows controversial comments Mr McCallum made about an extradition case involving a senior executive from the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

Mr Trudeau said in a statement he had asked John McCallum to step down, but did not offer a reason.

The detention of Meng Wanzhou, at the request of the US, angered China and soured Canada's relations with Beijing.

Ms Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, is accused by the US of evading sanctions on Iran. Both she and Huawei deny those allegations.

• Canada 'alone' in China and Huawei dispute
• No politics behind Huawei arrest - Trudeau
• Meng Wanzhou: Trapped in a gilded cage

What did Justin Trudeau say?
In a statement, the Canadian prime minister said: "Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's ambassador to China."

The veteran diplomat, Mr Trudeau added, had served Canadians honourably and with distinction with many positions in cabinet.

He also thanked the diplomat and his family for their service.

What about the ambassador's remarks?
Mr McCallum caused controversy on Tuesday when he publicly argued that the US extradition request for Ms Meng was seriously flawed.

The next day he issued a statement saying that he "misspoke" and regretted that his comments had created "confusion".


But on Friday he was quoted as saying it would be "great for Canada" if the US dropped the request.

Mr McCallum was appointed Canada's ambassador to China in 2017, stepping down as the immigration minister.

Canadian media say he was eager to take over the posting because of his strong personal connection to China.

Mr McCallum's wife is ethnically Chinese, and he had a large Chinese-Canadian population in his former constituency in Ontario.

Mr McCallum also served as Canada's defence minister in 2002-03.

What's the latest on Meng Wanzhou's case?
She was arrested on 1 December in Canada's western city of Vancouver at the request of the US.

She was later granted a C$10m (£5.7m; $7.6m) bail by a local court. But she is under surveillance 24 hours a day and must wear an electronic ankle tag.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionMeng Wanzhou denies all the allegations against her
Earlier this month, US officials confirmed they planned to pursue the extradition of Ms Wanzhou.

Washington has 60 days to file a formal demand for extradition, a deadline that will be reached 30 January.

• US to 'move ahead with Huawei executive extradition'
• The life of Huawei's high-flying heiress
• Why Huawei matters in five charts

China's foreign ministry has urged US officials to withdraw the arrest order and refrain from moving ahead with the extradition request.

Ms Meng's case has led to rising diplomatic tensions between Canada and China.

Image copyrightAFP
Image captionCanadian nationals Michael Spavor (left) and Michael Kovrig have been put under "compulsory measures"
Earlier this month, a Canadian man was sentenced to death in China after a court said a jail term of 15 years was too lenient.

Two other Canadians - businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrg - were arrested following the detention of Ms Meng.

Some China analysts believe that the arrests were a tit-for-tat response to her detention, a claim Chinese officials have denied.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canad...dor-to-china-after-comments-about-huawei-case

John McCallum forced out as Canada's ambassador to China after comments on Huawei case
McCallum was told to hand in his resignation after he weighed in on a high-stakes extradition case for the second time in less than a week

John McCallum, the former Canadian ambassador to ChinaPaul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS



January 26, 2019
4:50 PM EST

OTTAWA — Canada’s strategy for navigating growing tensions with China was in disarray Saturday after Justin Trudeau fired his ambassador to Beijing.

The prime minister’s office announced Saturday that ambassador John McCallum had been told to hand in his resignation — just hours after he weighed in on a high-stakes extradition case for the second time in less than a week.

McCallum was quoted in a Vancouver newspaper as saying it would be “great for Canada” if the United States dropped its extradition request for Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive who was detained in Vancouver last month.

He told StarMetro Vancouver on Friday that if the U.S. and China reach an agreement on Meng’s case, the deal should include the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians currently detained in China for what many analysts say is revenge for the detention of Meng.

“We have to make sure that if the U.S. does such a deal, it also includes the release of our two people. And the U.S. is highly aware of that,” McCallum told the Star.

That comment followed a statement McCallum issued Thursday, saying he misspoke earlier in the week when he discussed Meng’s case with a group of Chinese-language journalists in Toronto, listing several arguments he thought could help her legal fight against extradition.

At first, Trudeau stood by his former minister. But McCallum’s statements put the Liberal government in a touchy position. Trudeau has spent considerable effort and political capital over the past month telling world leaders that because of Canada’s inherent respect for the rule of law, Canadian authorities had no choice but to detain Meng, and that the extradition process was not political.

A guard attempts to block photos from being taken outside the Canadian embassy in Beijing on January 27, 2019. GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images
McCallum’s dismissal was too little too late for Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who had called on Trudeau to fire the ambassador as early as Wednesday, on the grounds that McCallum’s remarks raised concerns about the politicization of the Meng case.

“Justin Trudeau should have fired his ambassador the moment he interfered in this case. Instead, he did nothing and allowed more damage to be done. More weakness and more indecision from Trudeau on China,” Scheer tweeted Saturday.

“It should never have come to this.”

Paul Evans, a China expert at the University of British Columbia, said this is the “most difficult and emotional moment in Canada-China relations in 30 years” — since the Tiananmen Square aftermath.

The arrest of Meng may have been the immediate trigger but damage to Canada was almost inevitable because the country was already at the mercy of two much larger global forces: The clash between Chinese president Xi Jinping’s growing authoritarianism and U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive America First agenda.

“We’re going deeper into the rabbit hole of Canada-China interactions. We are at a moment when we really don’t know how deep that hole will get,” Evan said in an interview the day before McCallum was fired.

Trust and respect have been thrown into question, and there’s no more benefit of the doubt between Canada and China, he said.

• NP View: The Chinese stakes are too high to tolerate ambassadors going rogue
• Andrew Coyne: McCallum may have revealed Canada’s risky plan to play U.S. and China off against each other
• Rex Murphy: Who really wrote John McCallum’s shockingly China-friendly script?

By appointing McCallum to the Beijing post in the cabinet shuffle in 2017 Trudeau appeared to have the right person in place to push Canada’s trade agenda with China even further.

Already an experienced cabinet minister, his biggest achievement was in the immigration portfolio in delivering on Trudeau’s promise to bring tens of thousands of Syrian refugees into Canada.

McCallum also had strong personal ties to China. His wife has Chinese ethnicity and his three sons have Chinese spouses, something McCallum was fond of pointing out.

He also had a large Chinese constituency in his former federal riding in Markham, Ont.

Now that political investment is gone.

“In this hypersensitive era, we’re all hyperventilating. Every twist and turn in this story, every comment just seems to put a little more salt in a wound that is getting deeper and not healing,” Evans said.

Canadians are paying for his mistakes

In a brief scrum in Ottawa, Scheer accused the prime minister of damaging not only Canada’s international reputation, but its chances of securing the release of Kovrig and Spavor.

He said McCallum’s initial comments raised the spectre of political interference in the Meng case, and that by failing to act immediately, Trudeau undercut his own assurances that the case would be handled independently by the courts.

“This is, I think, part of a bigger problem. And that is Justin Trudeau’s approach to diplomacy, where he thought he could conduct image-over-substance foreign affairs. And now Canadians are paying for his mistakes,” Scheer said.

“Canadians’ treatment in China is being affected by this.”

The PMO declined to comment on exactly what led to the prime minister’s change of heart about McCallum’s fate.

In a news release announcing the ambassador’s resignation, Trudeau thanked McCallum for nearly two decades of service. He noted that McCallum served as minister of immigration and refugees between 2015 and 2017, during the height of Canada’s effort to resettle Syrian refugees.

In the wake of McCallum’s resignation, Jim Nickel, deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Canada in Beijing, will represent the country in China as charge d’affaires effective immediately, the prime minister said.

— With files from reporter Mike Blanchfield

 

[Glad I couldn't help]

Another great moment in Canadian diplomacy.

Thanks Trudeau for yet another to add to the list.

 

[Coleslaw]

do a population transfer, let all the canadians who like guns and freedom and such move south, and then make california a province instead of a state

There is precedent. Declare Cali in rebellion against the federal government, and then make it a military district where the Constitution as it has been misinterpreted by the Supreme Court does not apply, just like after the Civil War.

 

[Meat Poultry Veg]

McCallum was quoted in a Vancouver newspaper as saying it would be “great for Canada” if the United States dropped its extradition request for Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive who was detained in Vancouver last month.

You know what would be better for Canada? Growing a spine.

 

[Ginger Piglet]

Canada should publicly execute her for communistic tendencies. Then China will see what "disrespecting human rights" looks like.

I think they already know what disrespecting human rights looks like. They do it to their own people all the time. In China, you have the right to be a quiet little worker ant, or you can be sent for re-education.

 

[Antipathy]

I think they already know what disrespecting human rights looks like. They do it to their own people all the time. In China, you have the right to be a quiet little worker ant, or you can be sent for re-education.

Man, I don't even know how many Chinese people I've killed by putting a VPN in China and then typing "Why Tibetian Independence is Legitimate"

 

[Coldgrip]

Man, I don't even know how many Chinese people I've killed by putting a VPN in China and then typing "Why Tibetian Independence is Legitimate"

The answer is 'not enough'.

 

[PS1gamenwatch]

Another one:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...ined-in-china-on-allegations-of-fraud-report/

Canadian man detained in China on allegations of fraud: report


THE CANADIAN PRESS
PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGOUPDATED JANUARY 27, 2019

A Canadian man has reportedly been detained in China on allegations of fraud.

The South China Morning Post, citing local media, says the 61-year-old Canadian is accused of trying to defraud an unnamed entertainment company out of $375-million.

The newspaper says the man, whose full name is not given, allegedly tried to use fake papers to transfer the money from the company’s account to an account in Hong Kong.

Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter, but the latest arrest comes in the midst of testy diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, have been detained in China since December for allegedly endangering national security.


Their arrests came shortly after Canadian authorities in Vancouver arrested Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive with Chinese firm Huawei Technologies, who is wanted by the U.S. on fraud charges.

On Saturday, it was announced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had fired John McCallum as Canada’s ambassador to China after he twice weighed in on the high-stakes extradition case.

Another Canadian, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, received a death sentence for a previous drug-smuggling conviction, a harsher penalty than the 15 years of imprisonment he’d already been given.

 

[Dr. Tran]

So apparently the commies in China are trying to force the hand of the Canadian government by basically threatening neck this dude to let the Huawei exec go. I swear one way or the other we gotta glass these commies man.

 

[PS1gamenwatch]

Oh shit

https://www.theepochtimes.com/surve...deaus-handling-of-china-tensions_2787271.html

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a meeting at the National Cyber Security Centre on April 18, 2018, in London, England. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
Survey Shows Canadians Unsatisfied With Trudeau’s Handling of China Tensions
BY RAHUL VAIDYANATH, EPOCH TIMES
February 1, 2019 Updated: February 1, 2019
Share
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute reveals a majority of Canadians are not satisfied with how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has handled the deteriorating situation between Ottawa and Beijing. A majority of Canadians also feel that arresting Huawei CFO Meng Wangzhou was the right thing to do.


Meng was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1, 2018, at the request of the United States. She’s awaiting a hearing while out on bail to determine whether she should be extradited to the United States to face charges including violating international sanctions against Iran.

Canada has always maintained that it will respect the rule of law and that Meng’s arrest is not a political issue. China, however, has demanded her release, without taking into account the legal systems of Canada and the United States.

China has threatened Canada with severe repercussions and has detained two Canadians in retaliation. A third has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling. The survey reported that 92 percent of Canadians feel the current situation between Canada and China is either quite serious or very serious.

Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of Canadians feel human rights and the rule of law should be more important for guiding Canada-China relations than business interests.




Angus Reid reported that Meng’s arrest is capturing the attention of Canadians more than tensions with Saudi Arabia and the NAFTA trade negotiations.

Global Affairs confirmed on Feb. 1 that Canadian consular officials in China visited with Michael Spavor, who has been detained since Dec. 10, 2018. Consular officials are also seeking further access to Michael Kovrig, who was also detained in China shortly after Meng was arrested.

And

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-detained-in-china-gets-third-consular-visit-1.5003725

Canadian detained in China gets third consular visit
Social Sharing

• Canada should immediately appoint high-level envoy to China, ex-ambassador says

• Michael Kovrig's employer says it trusts Ottawa to help free detainees held in China

Global Affairs said they are continuing to provide support to Kovrig and his family, and are seeking further access to him while he is in prison.

The statement reiterated the government's position of being "deeply concerned" by the "arbitrary" detention of the two men by the Chinese. Ottawa has repeatedly called for their release.

Several of Canada's allies have spoken out against China's behaviour. Those countries include Australia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Conservatives have criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not picking up the phone to speak with his Chinese counterpart. Trudeau defended his decision, saying it's not yet the right time for that call. There have also been sharp barbs from President Xi Jingping's envoy to Canada, who warned Canadian officials against using microphone diplomacy.

• ANALYSIS
  John McCallum's political skills failed both him and Trudeau

• ANALYSIS
  Canada's in a corner over the Meng Wanzhou case, with no good options

Some have been critical of the government's approach to securing the release of the Canadians.



Things deteriorated further with last week's firing of Canada's ambassador to China John McCallum.

McCallum commented twice on the extradition case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. He suggested there might be legal arguments why she should not be extradited to the U.S. He apologized for those comments later, but it caused further upsets in Canada's relations with China, and raised concerns about the government's efforts to win the release of Spavor and Kovrig.

 

[JosephTX]

You know what would be better for Canada? Growing a spine.

But that's an offensive display of toxic masculinity.

 

[PS1gamenwatch]

A bit more criticisms over the handling of the situation:

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/strahl-china-mess-was-inevitable-for-post-national-canada

STRAHL: China mess was inevitable for 'post-national' Canada
Special to Toronto Sun


Published:February 6, 2019

Updated:February 6, 2019 7:07 PM EST

Pedestrians walk past a Huawei retail shop in Beijing Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018.Ng Han Guan / AP

BY CHUCK STRAHL

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declares that Canada is the world’s first “post-national state”, what does that mean to a country like China?

China must scratch their collective heads and say: “What’s this? The previous Canadian government told us that they would do whatever it takes to strengthen national security, to protect essential Canadian infrastructure, to promote – and expect all countries to live by – the rule of law and basic freedoms of expression, religion, association, and so on. Now Canada is ‘post-national’, whatever that means.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TjKIueD-EXk
A country like China looks for proof in the pudding, and they can now start to see patterns where patterns exist.

Whereas the previous Conservative government consistently expressed serious reservations about China, about unrestricted investment, national security issues, and the absence of democracy, at the beginning of his leadership Trudeau said that he admired “their basic dictatorship” and their ability to get things done.

Perhaps this admiration is part of what it means to be “post-nationalist”? We’re all in this together, whatever ‘this’ is, and so as long as you get ‘er done, what’s a little dictatorship along our mutual path?

The previous Canadian government created an Office of Religious Freedoms, in part to respond and bring attention to the unjust treatment of religious believers in China. But one of the Trudeau government’s early acts was to abolish the office, a decision that no doubt caused the Chinese government to raise a glass in agreement.

The previous Canadian government spoke out against the one-child policy of China, since it coerced women to have an abortion whether they wanted a child or not. The current Canadian government made it a party policy that in Canada you had to support unrestricted access to abortion to be part of the government and then decided that no Canadian or group (especially those pesky religious groups) could apply for summer jobs grants unless they also supported unrestricted abortion. China understands how to force citizens to agree with a party policy, and would no doubt agree with the initiative.

What about allying yourself with other countries who share concerns about national and international security? When many of our democratic allies have moved to restrict Huawei from playing a role in their country’s 5G systems, we have held off on joining them.

The problem with all of this, as the Trudeau government has now found out, is that you either stand for something, or you will fall for anything.

You stand with your allies, or soon you won’t have any. You consistently apply the lens of freedom, rule of law and democratic ideals to thorny issues, or these heartfelt issues will get ignored when you need them most.

China was not blowing smoke when they voiced support for former Ambassador John McCallum’s positions on Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou and are livid with what they see as Canada’s kowtowing to the U.S.

It is completely understandable that they would think this way. Having heard three years of post-national drivel from a country that once held the high moral ground, they no doubt expect us to act “post-nationally” when it comes to dealing with them as well.

Near as one can tell, they expect us, as a nation, to put China’s interests first.

What a mess, and a mess of our own making. The light bulb is slowly coming on in Ottawa that while it maybe sounds good to muse about being post-national when you’re talking to high school students or United Nations rapporteurs, countries like China see it for what it is.

It’s an inane and dangerous foray into a foreign policy that is neither soft or hard power, based on neither democratic principles or long-standing Canadian values. It’s simply open to interpretation, and China (for one, though there will be others) will be emboldened to define it for us and get angry when we disagree. What a mess.

Chuck Strahl is a former MP and Conservative cabinet minister.

 

[PS1gamenwatch]

Update, now they send China a letter:

https://business.financialpost.com/...ng-from-chinese-canadians-free-those-hostages

An Open Letter to China’s Xi Jinping from Chinese Canadians: Free those hostages!
'Your fury with Canada is premature and unwarranted'

Chinese President Xi JinpingGetty Images
https://business.financialpost.com/author/specialfp

February 21, 2019
8:21 AM EST

Last Updated
February 21, 2019
7:26 PM EST

Peter MacKay: U.S.-China trade war traps Canada between 'rock and hard place' — and it could get worse
Chinese investment in Canada cut by nearly half as diplomatic spats, currency controls take toll
Dear President Xi,

Canada ignited the anger of the fiery dragon by arresting Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou two months ago. Huawei is China’s most successful global firm. It is the epitome of China’s technological rise and challenge to the United States. You perceived this as a direct affront to your regime and to the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party. You regard this as a loss of face. In turn, you arrested former diplomat Michael Korvig and businessman Michael Spavor in retaliation. We understand your fury.

First, allow us to remind you that it is the U.S. — not Canada — that brought charges of fraud, money laundering and breaching sanctions against Meng Wanzhou and Huawei. Canada had to honour that treaty. Of course, the decision to grant the extradition request ultimately lies with Canada’s minister of justice and attorney general. But let’s not forget, just two short years ago the Chinese government sought an extradition treaty with Canada. Canada agreed to negotiate on it. If that extradition treaty had been in place and China had made a request to extradite one of its “economic fugitives,” Canada would arrest that person and hand him or her over to China. This is how an extradition treaty works. Your fury with Canada is premature and unwarranted.

By holding two harmless Canadians hostage, China does not send a message that it is ready to lead.


Secondly, we are writing to you from the point of view of second-generation Chinese Canadians. We are the future of the Chinese Canadian diaspora, a diverse community 1.8-million people strong. We are caught between a rock and a hard place watching two fellow Canadian citizens held in your country without charge, denied access to lawyers and refused a trial. It has been soul-crushing for many of us.

Our former ambassador to China, John McCallum, revealed that Michael Korvig faces up to four hours of interrogation daily. That kind of abuse is simply wrong. Meng Wanzhou was arrested and then promptly released on bail in Canada. Her human rights are not violated under the Canadian judiciary system. She currently lives in her plush multi-million-dollar mansion in Vancouver. She goes shopping with her friends. There is a point of fairness to be made here. It is wrong to hold Michael Korvig or Michael Spavor in awful conditions and subject them to torture.

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• Terence Corcoran: Americans are trying to kill Huawei. Canada shouldn’t be helping them
• Terence Corcoran: Canada is being lured into a dangerous anti-China trade syndrome
• William Watson: Firing McCallum just made Meng Wanzhou’s case look more politically

When he was still a free man, Michael Korvig openly and frequently met with Chinese officials. China deemed his activities to be fine at the time. It has now changed its tune and argues that they were illegal. The lack of clarity and transparency around these kinds of practices does not place China in a positive light, nor does it sit well with the rest of the international community.

President Xi, you are seeking leadership in a liberal world order. By holding two harmless Canadians hostage, China does not send a message that it is ready to lead. On the contrary, this ongoing saga shows that China is still in many ways unsophisticated and primitive in its approach to diplomacy. If China truly wants to be understood, then it must first win over the hearts and minds of the West. If you cannot even convince people like us, second-generation Chinese Canadians, that you are a responsible leader, how can you effectively promote China’s “soft power” to the West?

We feel some trepidation before writing you this letter. We are uncertain how it will be received




A superpower needs to act like one. China should open its arms to welcome the likes of Michael Korvig and Michael Spavor, allowing them to conduct research, provide constructive criticism and share knowledge with Chinese officials and scholars. Their enthusiasm to build lasting and productive relations with China ought to be applauded, not punished.

President Xi, we feel some trepidation before writing you this letter. We are uncertain how it will be received. We don’t know if our families in China will be adversely affected. But as Martin Luther King Jr. is widely credited with saying, “the hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.” Our organization is determined to tell the story of China through a thoughtful, critical, and balanced lens while upholding the Canadian values of freedom, liberty and fairness.

The Chinese New Year we celebrated this month symbolizes a time of reunion for families across China. In this spirit, we respectfully ask that you free Mr. Korvig and Mr. Spavor so they can be reunited with their families and loved ones. If an immediate release is not possible, we implore you — at the very least — to improve the conditions under which they are currently being held.

Signed (in alphabetical order):

Robin Ma, director of the Canadian Chinese Political Affairs Committee (CCPAC);

Anthony Ni, CCPAC co-founder;

Karen Woods, CCPAC co-founder;

and Elsa Zhang, CCPAC director.



Disclosure: Karen Woods disclosed in advance to the Financial Post that she is employed in a company that does government relations work for China. Woods avows that she has never and currently does not work on that file and that she does not benefit in her career or in any other personal manner from any business with the government of China.

 

[Poiseon]

Fuck China. I say full embargo on all their shit. Watch them crash and burn while America makes good pencils again.