The arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer is just the latest controversy to befall the tech giant which has been accused of having ties to the Chinese government and used for espionage activities.
The arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer is just the latest controversy to hit the tech giant which has been accused of conducting espionage activities for the Chinese government.
“We don’t know to what extent they might be considered an arms length business and to what extent they might be simply an arm of the Chinese government,” said David Skillicorn, a professor in Queen’s University School of Computing.
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has been thrust into the spotlight with the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, its chief financial officer and deputy chair of the board. According to a statement from the U. S. Department of Justice, Meng was arrested in Vancouver on Saturday and is being sought for extradition by the United States.
The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday that Meng was arrested on suspicion of violating U. S. trade sanctions on Iran. She has a bail hearing in Canada on Friday.
For years, Huawei has been a source of concern for western security officials, particularly the U. S., which has tried to convince other countries not to buy equipment from the China-based firm.
Huawei denies allegations that it conducts espionage on behalf of China and has said it’s a market-driven business simply looking to compete internationally.
Some Canadian security experts have warned Canada about doing business with Huawei, one of the world’s biggest telecommunications firms. Ward Elcock, a former CSIS director and deputy minister of national defence, told As It Happens host Carol Off in March that he believes the company is “essentially under the control of the Chinese government.”
“It is hard for me to believe that a company such as Huawei would not do the bidding of the Chinese government and would not build traps, back doors into its technology on behalf of the Chinese government,” he said.
